TMC's Abhishek Banerjee objects to rebel MP's committee chair post

AITC leader Abhishek Banerjee objected to the appointment of MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as a committee Chairperson, writing to the Lok Sabha Speaker. He cited a pending disqualification petition against her and questioned her party affiliation.

MP Abhishek Banerjee (File Photo/ANI)

Banerjee Objects to Appointment, Cites Disqualification Plea

All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Parliamentary Party Leader in Lok Sabha Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday objected to the appointment of MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as the Chairperson of the Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers.

In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Banerjee said the appointee is among the twenty Members against whom disqualification petitions remain pending before the Speaker under the Tenth Schedule. Referring to his earlier communication, Banerjee said, "In my letters dated 23 September 2026, I expressly requested that these Members be kept out of consideration for DRSC appointments until the petitions were decided. In the fourth paragraph, I also requested that AITC retain the chairmanship of one Standing Committee in the Lok Sabha and had conveyed our nomination for the existing Chairperson to continue. The appointment disregards both our objection and our nomination."

Questions Raised Over Party Affiliation

The TMC leader pointed out that the Digital Sansad website continues to show 28 Lok Sabha Members belonging to AITC, while the Member appointed claims affiliation with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) through a purported merger disputed in the pending disqualification proceedings. Raising questions over the party affiliation under which the post was allotted, Banerjee wrote, "Under which party affiliation has this chairmanship been allotted? If it has been allotted to AITC, on what basis has the party's nominee been replaced against its express wishes? If it has been allotted to NCPI, under what order has that affiliation been recognised, and on what basis has NCPI been given the chairmanship?"

He further said, "NCPI's reported association with the NDA cannot settle the question of affiliation under the Tenth Schedule. That question requires a decision in the pending proceedings."

"Appointing a Member to a chairmanship while leaving the Member's disputed affiliation undecided is, in our submission, contrary to parliamentary propriety. This appointment cannot be treated as a chairmanship allotted to AITC," Banerjee said. Banerjee requested that the appointment be withdrawn and the chairmanship restored to AITC's duly nominated Member. He also requested an early decision on the pending disqualification petitions and a written response to the questions raised.

Background of Political Dispute

This comes months after 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs quit the party following its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. They joined the NCPI and extended support to the BJP-led NDA. The political status of those 20 MPs remains under scrutiny.

Disqualification petitions under the anti-defection law were filed against them after TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee sought action following their exit. The matter has reached the Supreme Court, while the MPs maintain that their move to the NCPI was a valid merger and have aligned themselves with the NDA.

The rebel MPs have sought an additional four weeks to respond to notices issued by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on the disqualification petitions, after the deadline granted to them expired on Tuesday. The NCPI has maintained that it is a separate political force within the NDA. The latest appointments mark a formal expansion of its organisational structure after the induction of former TMC lawmakers.

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