Lok Sabha Speaker grants extension to TMC rebel MPs

Twenty Lok Sabha MPs who defected from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to join the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) have been granted an extension to respond to disqualification notices. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla acceded to a request from NCPI floor leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, allowing him until September 22 to file a reply to a petition seeking his disqualification under the anti-defection law.

The disqualification plea was filed on June 18 by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. The rebel faction, which includes veterans such as Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, represents a significant portion of the TMC's Lok Sabha membership. To attempt to bypass the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, the group merged with the Tripura-based NCPI.

The legal proceedings follow a Supreme Court directive on August 25, where a bench including Chief Justice Surya Kant agreed to hear Banerjee's plea for an expeditious decision on the matter. While the TMC leadership has pressed for fast-tracked proceedings, the rebel MPs are currently consulting legal counsel to finalize their defense.