Opposition Stages Walkout as Government Invites TMC Rebels to All-Party Meet

Opposition parties on Sunday staged a brief walkout from an all-party meeting convened by the government, protesting the invitation extended to a breakaway faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The walkout, which was joined by parties including the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), highlighted the growing tensions over the recognition of the rebel group, which claims to have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).

The government defended its decision, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stating that it is the government's duty to invite every recognized group. He noted that the faction, comprising 20 Members of Parliament (MPs), has approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for recognition of their merger and has already been allotted separate seats in the House. Rijiju downplayed the walkout, saying it was brief and that opposition members rejoined the meeting soon after.

The TMC, facing internal dissent and a potential split, has relied on support from other opposition parties, including the Congress, which the TMC had often clashed with in Parliament when Mamata Banerjee was Chief Minister of West Bengal. The CPM's John Brittas, whose party has been a vocal critic of Banerjee, said they supported the walkout in defense of parliamentary democracy, which he claimed is under attack from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

During the meeting, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, who is among the eight MPs loyal to Banerjee, denounced the 20-MP faction as "traitors" and called for their disqualification under anti-defection laws. In response, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, the leader of the breakaway group, countered that the TMC, with only eight MPs, no longer deserves a front-row seating arrangement in the Lok Sabha. Moitra, supported by other opposition members, argued that only an original party can merge with another, and that the faction cannot be recognized under the anti-defection law.

The walkout and the subsequent exchange of barbs between the two TMC factions signal a contentious parliamentary session beginning Monday. The government maintains that it is acting within its rights by inviting all recognized groups, while opposition parties accuse it of encouraging defections and destabilizing other parties.