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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will meet Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee on June 19 to hear the party’s position on the ongoing dispute over a split in the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit. The meeting comes amid a demand by 20 rebel TMC MPs to be recognised as a separate parliamentary group following their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). Parliamentary sources said Birla will hear submissions from both factions before taking a decision, which will be based on applicable laws, parliamentary rules and established procedures.

Crucial Hearing Ahead

The June 19 meeting is expected to be a key step in the Speaker’s examination of competing claims arising from the split within the TMC. While members of the rebel camp have already met Birla and sought recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha, the party’s official leadership had requested an opportunity to present its case.

Sources said the Speaker intends to hear both sides before reaching a conclusion on the matter. Any decision, they added, will be taken strictly in accordance with parliamentary regulations and legal provisions governing the recognition of legislative groups.

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TMC Cites ED Proceedings

According to TMC sources, Banerjee was unable to attend an earlier meeting called by the Speaker’s office on June 15 because he was being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The Speaker’s office reportedly emailed Banerjee at around 2 pm on June 15, asking him to attend a meeting scheduled for 4 pm the same day. However, TMC sources said Banerjee did not have access to his mobile phone or personal email account during the ED proceedings and was therefore unaware of the communication.

They added that about an hour later, officials from the Speaker’s office contacted TMC MP Kirti Azad and informed him about the proposed meeting. Azad subsequently visited the Speaker’s office and conveyed that Banerjee was engaged in the ED inquiry and would not be able to attend.

He also requested that a fresh date be provided, while assuring officials that both Banerjee and the TMC were ready to cooperate fully with the Speaker’s proceedings. The June 19 meeting will now give the party an opportunity to formally place its arguments before Birla.

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