Fresh delay in defection case, reports of rift put NCPI MPs under pressure

• Twenty MPs aligned with the NCPI seek another 14 days to respond to disqualification notices.

• TMC’s Kunal Ghosh and Congress leader Ashoke Bhattacharya attack the defectors.

• A reported row over football match tickets fuels questions about unity within the group.

The 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs who have aligned themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) have once again sought more time from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to respond to disqualification notices issued against them, extending the deadline to 22 October, saying their legal team needs more time to organise documents and finalise their replies.

The request comes on the day the latest deadline expires. NCPI Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said, “Today is the last day to respond; the letter must be emailed within the day. We are seeking a two-week extension, which would take us to the 22nd.”

The MPs have already received several extensions. They were initially given seven days, followed by further periods of three weeks and two weeks. If accepted, their latest request would mean another extension in an increasingly prolonged and politically charged case.

Bandyopadhyay argued that there was little reason to criticise the MPs for seeking more time. “Since the Supreme Court has granted time until the 27th — providing an extra five days — there is no scope for criticism regarding the delay in sending the letter to the Speaker,” he said.

The Supreme Court deadline and the Speaker’s proceedings are now running alongside each other, adding to the uncertainty. The 20 MPs face separate complaints seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law after they left the TMC and aligned themselves with the NCPI.

The Speaker has sought to know why the MPs left the TMC and why the anti-defection law should not apply to them. The rebels, however, maintain that their political realignment does not automatically make them liable for disqualification.

Birbhum MP Satabdi Roy defended the request for more time, saying, “This is our collective decision and hence we are asking for more time. The Supreme Court gave us time till the 27th and we have time in hand. Let people say whatever they want to. But we will wait for the time being and take some more time before answering.”

The prolonged dispute has drawn sharp criticism from political opponents. Mamata-AITC leader Kunal Ghosh attacked Bandyopadhyay over his letter to the prime minister praising him for his 25 years in office, questioning why Bandyopadhyay described himself as an NCPI leader when the party is not recognised in the Lok Sabha. “How could he remain a Trinamool MP while claiming NCPI leadership?”

Ghosh also challenged Bandyopadhyay’s claim that he was a member of the parliamentary committee on public undertakings, saying Lok Sabha records did not list him as a member. He called Bandyopadhyay a “turncoat, betrayer and traitor” and alleged that he had won on an anti-BJP mandate but had now become a “BJP stooge”.

Congress leader Ashoke Bhattacharya dismissed the rebels as opportunists. “Some went with the Ritabrata Banerjee faction and some went to BJP through NCPI. There is no point in speaking about these people as this is nothing but wasting time,” he said.

The political uncertainty has also been accompanied by signs of internal friction among the 20 MPs. A controversy over tickets for the India-Brazil exhibition football match in Kolkata has reportedly caused tensions in their WhatsApp group.

According to reports, 20 VIP tickets intended for the MPs were sent to a female NCPI leader. The tickets were initially kept at her Southern Avenue residence in Kolkata and later moved to her home in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas. The MPs were reportedly then asked to collect their tickets from Madhyamgram, triggering resentment.

The dispute allegedly turned heated, with the leader reportedly telling protesting MPs, “I am not anyone’s father’s servant.” Three MPs, including an actress, are said to have subsequently left the WhatsApp group, while another senior actress-MP had reportedly left earlier.

However, the MPs have played down the controversy. MP Rachana Banerjee said, “No, no, nothing of that sort happened. The group’s name is occasionally changed for our convenience.” Satabdi Roy similarly said, “It was deleted by mistake. A new group has been created, and everyone is in it.”

Bandyopadhyay also claimed he was unaware of any serious dispute. “I know nothing about this. The state government sent me tickets separately. No one informed us about any issues regarding the tickets. I only got a vague idea about it through the 24 Parganas connection,” he said.