TMC MP Criticizes Speaker's Decision Allowing Rebel MPs to Sit Separately

On Sunday (July 19), TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee has issued a statement. His statement came against the permission given by Om Birla to the rebel MPs to sit separately in the House. He said that the decision to give a separate seat to the 20 rebel MPs was not as expected. The disqualification petitions against the rebel MPs are already pending with the Speaker. No action was taken before taking a decision on these. According to ANI, Banerjee said, "We have already filed petitions before the Speaker seeking disqualification on the grounds of defection. In such a situation, it was not expected from the Speaker to give recognition to them (rebel MPs) without taking any decision on those 20 petitions." This whole development took place when Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju invited TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar to join the all-party meeting. Opposition leaders immediately started protesting against this and left the meeting.