TMC split: LS Speaker invites Abhishek Banerjee to present his case on Friday

New DelhiJun 17, 2026 07:25 PM IST TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. (PTI Photo)With Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla yet to make a decision on the status of the Trinamool Congress in the House, the Speaker’s office on Wednesday wrote to party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, inviting him to present his case on the issue at 5 pm on Friday (June 19). Sources in the TMC told The Indian Express that Banerjee will travel to Delhi to meet the Speaker on Friday. Sources in Birla’s office said that through a letter on Wednesday, the Speaker has “requested Banerjee to present his case” in his official Chamber in Parliament at 5 pm on Friday.Banerjee could not meet the Speaker on Monday as he was being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate till late evening. Instead, TMC MP Kirti Azad had met Birla and conveyed that Banerjee was unable to attend. The development came amid a dispute within the TMC after a group of party MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar approached the Speaker, claiming that they had merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a political party based in Tripura, and should be allowed to function as a separate bloc in the Lok Sabha. Banerjee had earlier written to Birla opposing any recognition, status or facilities being granted to what he described as a “purported separate group or faction” of the All India Trinamool Congress. The dispute now hinges on whether the rebel MPs’ claim of merger can protect them from disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with defection. Those in the rebel camp believe they will not be disqualified since more than two-thirds of the MPs — 20 of the party’s 28 lawmakers — have merged with another party.Story continues below this ad However, the Mamata Banerjee faction believes the rebels will face disqualification and argues that the anti-defection law requires a broader “twin test” to establish whether a valid merger of the original political party has taken place.