Full Breakdown
17 NCPI MPs May Join BJP Around Durga Puja – Claim Sparks Dispute
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Core Event: Basunia’s Announcement
On September 14, rebel Trinamool Congress MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia said that 17 of the 20 Lok Sabha members who merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) would join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “before or after Durga Puja.” He argued that moving together would keep the group outside the anti-defection law because more than two-thirds of the bloc would be switching.
Background & Context
- June 14: Twenty dissident TMC MPs merged with NCPI and pledged support to the ruling NDA.
- The anti-defection law (10th Schedule) exempts a merger only if at least two-thirds of a party’s legislators agree; for a 20-member group the threshold is 14.
- The defections followed the TMC’s loss in the West Bengal assembly elections earlier in the year.
Timeline
- June 14: 20 TMC MPs merge with NCPI.
- June 19: TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee files disqualification petitions.
- July 9 & 16: Three rebel Rajya Sabha MPs resign and join the BJP.
- August 26: Lok Sabha Secretariat issues notices to the 20 MPs.
- September 22: Extension granted for the MPs to respond.
- October 6-10: Durga Puja period during which Basunia says the BJP switch could occur.
Data & Statistics
- 20 MPs in the NCPI bloc; 17 claimed to be moving to the BJP.
- Two-thirds threshold = 14 MPs; Basunia’s figure exceeds this, which he says shields the group from disqualification.
- Three MPs (Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahaman, Yusuf Pathan) are said to remain outside the BJP but continue to support the NDA.
Official Statements & Responses
- BJP West Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya said the party would not admit anyone merely because they wanted to join.
- BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar echoed that a desire to join does not guarantee acceptance.
- TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee is pursuing disqualification of the 20 MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Supreme Court.
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla extended the response deadline to September 22.
Criticism & Opposition
- Abu Taher Khan rejected Basunia’s claim: “We will not go to the BJP. We will not go to the NDA.”
- Satabdi Roy said Basunia spoke in a personal capacity and no collective decision had been taken.
- Arup Chakraborty said he was unaware of any plan to join the BJP.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Parliamentary records still list the 20 rebels as TMC members; NCPI’s request for separate recognition remains unresolved.
- The Supreme Court has issued notices to the MPs, but no ruling on their status has been delivered.
- It is unclear whether the three minority MPs will receive the “important responsibilities or portfolios” Basunia mentioned, as they have publicly refused any BJP or NDA affiliation.
What’s Next
- The Durga Puja window (Oct 6-10) remains the stated timeframe for any BJP entry.
- The September 22 deadline will determine whether the MPs’ responses affect pending disqualification petitions.
- The Supreme Court’s pending judgment and the Lok Sabha’s final decision on NCPI recognition will shape the bloc’s legal standing.