New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Thursday that he will expedite the process of taking a decision on the Trinamool Congress’ petitions seeking the disqualification of its 20 rebel MPs once he receives the responses of the lawmakers.
On September 23, the Supreme Court had remarked that it expected the Lok Sabha Speaker to take an “expeditious” decision on the plea seeking disqualification of the 20 rebel TMC MPs who have joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
“We will hear from both sides. When the responses come from the members, we will expedite the process,” Birla said at a press conference while replying to a question on the issue.
Birla said the matter is under consideration of the Supreme Court too.
TMC leader in the Lok Sabha Abhishek Banerjee had submitted 20 separate petitions to the Speaker, seeking the disqualification of the rebel MPs under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
He had argued that the MPs have voluntarily given up the membership of the TMC by joining another party and are, therefore, liable to be disqualified.
Banerjee also urged the Speaker not to accord any recognition, status or facility to any group claiming to be a separate faction of the TMC.
The TMC leader later moved the Supreme Court, claiming delay in deciding the disqualification proceedings initiated against the MPs.
He sought directions to the Speaker to decide the disqualification petitions in accordance with the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana had said it was aware that it cannot direct the Lok Sabha Speaker, “but we just want to remind him about expeditious resolution”.
The dispute follows a rebellion within the TMC parliamentary party after its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls, with 20 of its Lok Sabha MPs announcing that they had joined or merged with the NCPI, a little-known political outfit, and sought separate recognition in the House.
The rebel MPs have subsequently been treated as an NCPI group in Parliament and have participated in ruling NDA parliamentary activities.
The TMC has maintained that the MPs were elected on its symbol and that their decision to align with another political formation amounts to voluntarily giving up membership of the party, attracting disqualification under the anti-defection law.
The rebel camp, however, has maintained that its move constitutes a valid merger. PTI ACB RT
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