Kolkata: The 20 Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) MPs facing disqualification proceedings over their exit from the Trinamool have sought more time to respond to petitions pending before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, with the latest deadline set to expire on Wednesday.
Sources said NCPI neta Sudip Bandyopadhyay spoke to Birla on Wednesday and sought a further extension. A formal request has not yet been submitted, with the MPs consulting their lawyers and likely to send a written request by letter or email.
The MPs have already sought extensions on three occasions. Initially given seven days to respond to notices issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, they later sought three weeks and then four weeks. The Speaker, however, granted them 15 days on the last occasion, setting Oct 8 as the current deadline.
The disqualification proceedings stem from petitions filed by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee against the 20 MPs under the anti-defection law.
The matter has also reached the Supreme Court, which in Sept said it expected the Speaker to take an “expeditious” decision on the disqualification petitions.
Reacting to the delay, Trinamool spokesperson and Beleghata MP Kunal Ghosh said, “The 20 MPs who went to Delhi themselves do not know where they stand at this moment. They were elected on Trinamool Congress tickets and won on anti-BJP votes, but after going to Delhi, they are now acting as brokers for BJP.”
Addressing reporters at Bengal assembly, Ghosh said, “How can this be allowed to continue? How can an MP take months simply to clarify which party they belong to? This is being done because the Speaker and the BJP are trying to protect them.”
He added, “They should not be given any further extension under any circumstances. Their membership of Parliament should be cancelled immediately.”
