TMC split: LS Speaker invites Abhishek Banerjee to present his case on Friday

The development came amid a dispute within the TMC after a group of party MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar approached the Speaker, claiming that they had merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a political party based in Tripura, and should be allowed to function as a separate bloc in the Lok Sabha.

Banerjee had earlier written to Birla opposing any recognition, status or facilities being granted to what he described as a “purported separate group or faction” of the All India Trinamool Congress.

The dispute now hinges on whether the rebel MPs’ claim of merger can protect them from disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with defection.

Those in the rebel camp believe they will not be disqualified since more than two-thirds of the MPs — 20 of the party’s 28 lawmakers — have merged with another party.

However, the Mamata Banerjee faction believes the rebels will face disqualification and argues that the anti-defection law requires a broader “twin test” to establish whether a valid merger of the original political party has taken place.