BJP dismisses TMC internal turmoil as Abhishek Banerjee meets Speaker

The meeting, scheduled for June 19, centers on the status of 20 rebel MPs who have formally petitioned the Speaker to merge their faction with the Tripura-based Nationalist Congress Party of India (NCPI). By aligning with the NCPI, these legislators claim to have cleared the two-thirds threshold required to bypass the Tenth Schedule’s anti-defection provisions, effectively seeking independence from the TMC leadership.

West Bengal Minister Tapas Roy maintained that the outcome rests solely with parliamentary protocol. “Whatever the Speaker thinks, everyone will have to accept it,” Roy noted. The rebel group’s maneuver has thrust the obscure NCPI into the national spotlight. Despite the party's limited footprint, national organizing secretary Shantanu Dey has welcomed the influx of high-profile defectors, signaling an intent to align with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For now, the TMC leadership faces a critical test of internal discipline as the Speaker prepares to weigh the legality of the breakaway faction’s demands.