June 19, 2026
Abhishek Banerjee meets Speaker to demand disqualification of rebel MPs
Around 5 pm on Friday, June 19, 2026, Trinamool Congress’s Leader of the House in Lok Sabha Abhishek Banerjee met Speaker Om Birla in his chamber in Parliament House. He was accompanied by four other Members of Parliament (MPs) – Lok Sabha MPs Kalyan Banerjee (also Chief Whip), Mahua Moitra and Sougata Ray, and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Abhishek Banerjee said he had requested in writing on June 14 for a meeting with the Speaker, based on which he was summoned on the 15th. But he was unable to attend as he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in Kolkata on that day.
Upon returning home, he found an email from the Speaker. He promptly contacted the Speaker’s office to request an alternative date, and was asked to come to Delhi on Friday, June 19.
Giving a legal interpretation of the Tenth Schedule, Abhishek told the reporters that as per its provision, if an MP voluntarily relinquishes party membership, they can be disqualified from the House. The same should hold true for the 20 Trinamool Congress MPs who decided to leave the party.
Abhishek further claimed that the merger of those 20 MPs with Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is also illegal. “I have brought at least 20 such examples of disqualification with me. Kalyan da [Kalyan Banerjee] has also brought some. We have submitted them at the Speaker’s table.
“They decided to merge with NCPI, a party none of us had heard of, at their own discretion. But merging with another party automatically means relinquishing the membership of Trinamool Congress. You cannot hold two jobs at the same time. Hence, we demand that they be disqualified.
“It is clearly written in Section 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule that if for any reason you give up membership of your party, your membership of Parliament will also stand cancelled. Just as you cannot work for two companies at the same time, you cannot be a member of two political parties either.
“It is clearly written in the Constitution that if you join another party after being a member of one party, your membership of the earlier party stands terminated. Accordingly, if you win on a Trinamool Congress ticket and then merge with another party, your membership of the Lok Sabha ought to be cancelled [as membership of Trinamool Congress has been automatically cancelled].
“If an MP voluntarily relinquishes their party membership, they are liable to be disqualified from the House. A political party’s legislative or parliamentary group cannot merge with another party. Two-thirds of the office-bearers of that party must merge with the other party. If not so, the membership of Parliament of the MPs who have merged with the other party stand cancelled.”
Abhishek said the merger of the 20 MPs with NCPI was “illegal”, in support of which stand the team of MPs informed the Speaker of six to seven Supreme Court directives on the matter.
“Today, we asked for a separate seating arrangement in Parliament, a separate room and even appointed a Chief Whip and a Leader of Party from within our own ranks. This [the merger of 20 MPs with NCPI] cannot be done; it is completely illegal,” Abhishek said.
“Resign your seats. Those who have joined NCPI claim they are unhappy with their party. If you believe in honesty, then resign. An election will be held. Stand on a BJP, NCPI or any ticket you wish. The people will decide.
“They have sold their conscience, sold their honour. The people of Bengal will not forgive them. Many have received central security. With that security, go to your own constituencies; not a single person will stand by you. All this is about escaping the ED and CBI; some have even been paid to do this.
“The Speaker will decide who is for the Constitution and who is against it. The demand made by the 20 MPs for a separate block is not tenable. The separate block system was abolished in 2003. Read the Constitution. There are numerous Supreme Court judgments on this.
“The Supreme Court has also directed that a decision in such cases should be taken within three to four months. We have placed several Supreme Court judgements before him [the Speaker].
“[The claims of] those demanding recognition as a separate group, wanting a separate seating arrangement, wanting a separate recognition, and asking for one of them to be made Leader of the House, another Chief Whip, and another Deputy Leader, cannot be allowed. The Speaker will decide on the matter after hearing out both sides.”
