Sudip Bandyopadhyay hits back at Oppn, TMC; says NCPI 'recognised' by EC

New Delhi: The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is a political outfit "recognised" by the Election Commission, its leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said on Sunday, hitting out at the opposition parties who protested against the rebel TMC MPs' presence at the all-party meeting here on Sunday.

The MP, who joined the NCPI along with 19 other rebel TMC MPs after the West Bengal assembly poll results, said the NCPI is also the "largest constituent" of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

"I have never seen a walkout taking place during an all-party leaders' meeting... The NCPI is recognised by the Election Commission. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is going to submit all documents to the Lok Sabha Speaker (Om Birla)," said Bandyopadhyay.


He said that the TMC has become a smaller party after its 20 Lok Sabha MPs joined the NCPI.

"I also demanded (at the all-party meeting) that a small party should not be given seats (in the Lok Sabha) in the first row. Just eight (MPs) are left in the party (TMC) after its 20 (MPs) out of 28 moved out," Bandyopadhyay told reporters.

The all-party meeting convened by the government ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session on Sunday saw the entire opposition staging a symbolic walkout over the invitation to rebel TMC MPs Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.

Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra questioned the government's decision to invite rebel TMC MPs and said it went out of the way "to recognise them" when the Lok Sabha Speaker has not yet decided on their status.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, however, defended the decision. "The NCPI requested recognition from the Lok Sabha Speaker; how can you ignore them? It is the government's duty to invite everyone," Rijiju told reporters after the meeting.

When asked about the opposition parties' charge, Bandyopadhyay said, "Whatever they are telling, let them say. Whatever the Lok Sabha Speaker has to say, only tomorrow the Parliament will open and you will find whose seat is where.

On the TMC's demand for disqualification of its 20 rebel MPs, he said it is up to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to decide.

"If the Speaker thinks that it is fit for disqualification, he will disqualify. And if he thinks that from tomorrow we should sit as a separate bloc in the first row, we'll find tomorrow. Wait for 24 hours,"

Bandyopadhyay said that Dastidar will submit all the required documents to the Lok Sabha Speaker on Sunday.

Dastidar said, "We express our gratitude for being invited to the all-party meeting. It is a sign of respect toward our newly formed coalition of 20 MPs."

Ahead of the Monsoon session, Birla on Saturday approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and allowed separate seating for the 20 rebel TMC lawmakers.