started · updated
NCPI MP claims 17 rebel TMC lawmakers will join BJP
A political dispute has emerged in West Bengal following claims by Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia that 17 of the 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs intend to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) around the Durga Puja festival.
Basunia asserts that the group holds a two-thirds majority within the NCPI, which would exempt them from disqualification under anti-defection laws. However, the Lok Sabha Speaker has not yet formally recognized the NCPI as a separate parliamentary group, and the official parliamentary records still list the MPs under the TMC banner.
The proposed defection faces significant hurdles. Fellow rebel MPs have disputed Basunia’s claims, stating he spoke in a personal capacity and that no decision to join the BJP has been made. Additionally, the West Bengal unit of the BJP has denied negotiating a group induction of these lawmakers.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has approached the Supreme Court seeking the disqualification of the 20 rebel MPs, characterizing their potential move as political opportunism. The situation is further complicated by upcoming assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar, where various factions are fielding candidates.
Entities
Bharatiya Janata Party · Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia · Lok Sabha · National Democratic Alliance · Nationalist Citizens Party of India · Trinamool Congress · West Bengal
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Trinamool Congress has moved the Supreme Court to seek the disqualification of the 20 rebel MPs. yespunjab.com · desitalkchicago.com
- [● 9 SOURCES] Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia claimed that 17 of the 20 NCPI MPs will join the BJP before or after Durga Puja. desitalkchicago.com · www.latestly.com · odishabytes.com · yespunjab.com · www.dnaindia.com · +3 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Trinamool Congress leadership characterized the potential defection as an act of political opportunism.
- [● 2 SOURCES] NCPI MP Abu Taher Khan rejected the claim that he or other minority-community MPs would join the BJP or NDA. odishabytes.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Lok Sabha Speaker has not yet recognized the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) as a separate parliamentary group. yespunjab.com · hindi.news18.com · morungexpress.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Rebel MP Satabdi Roy stated that no decision to join the BJP has been made by the group and Basunia spoke in a personal capacity.
- [● 2 SOURCES] West Bengal BJP unit chief Samik Bhattacharya denied that the party is negotiating to induct the rebel MPs as a group. yespunjab.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Basunia claims the NCPI faction holds a two-thirds majority, which would exempt them from anti-defection laws. desitalkchicago.com