"Smaller parties shouldn't be prioritized": Sudip Bandyopadhyay hits at TMC

The political landscape in Parliament shifted dramatically ahead of the upcoming session following a fierce war of words between the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and the Kalighat Trinamool Congress faction during Sunday's all-party meeting. NCPI leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay publicly reminded the Kalighat camp that his party now holds a higher number of Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha. Bandyopadhyay demanded front-row seating arrangements in the house from Speaker Om Birla, aggressively stating that smaller political parties with fewer representatives should not be prioritized over them.

The political dispute stems from a major rebellion within the Trinamool Congress, where 20 sitting MPs abandoned the Kalighat leadership to join the NCPI, subsequently offering their official support to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Following the passing of MP Haji Nurul, the original Trinamool strength had dropped to 28, meaning the Kalighat faction has now been reduced to just eight lawmakers compared to NCPI's 20. Bandyopadhyay highlighted that the NCPI has now effectively become the second-largest constituent within the ruling NDA bloc, surpassing both Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) in terms of Lok Sabha strength.

During the meeting, Kalighat Trinamool leaders Mahua Moitra and Saugata Roy strongly objected to the NCPI's official invitation and staged a brief symbolic walkout, arguing that the Lok Sabha website still officially displays 28 Trinamool MPs. However, NCPI Chief Whip Kakali Ghosh Dastidar and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the participation, stating that the Speaker cannot ignore the formal written requests submitted by the 20 MPs for distinct seating blocks. Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien demanded a separate all-party meeting to specifically discuss the Delimitation Bill, sending a formal letter directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.