Opposition leaders walk out of all-party meet over NCPI's presence
What's the story
Opposition leaders staged a walkout from an all-party meeting on Saturday, protesting the participation of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). About 20 rebel lawmakers from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) merged with the NCPI last month. The opposition raised concerns over the NCPI's inclusion in the meeting, as their merger has not been officially recognized.
Legitimacy concerns
Unrecognized party called to meeting: Trinamool MP Saugata Roy
Trinamool MP Saugata Roy expressed his concerns over the NCPI's participation in the meeting.
He said, "Our concern is that an unrecognized party, one whose name does not appear on the (parliament) website, has been called to the meeting."
The Sansad website still lists these rebel MPs as TMC members.
Despite their walkout over this issue, opposition leaders returned to continue with the all-party meet.
Gratitude expressed
NCPI leader thanks government for inclusion in all-party meet
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the leader of the NCPI bloc, thanked the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju for their inclusion in the all-party meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Despite opposition's concerns over NCPI's legitimacy, Dastidar's gratitude indicates an attempt to establish their place within India's political framework.