Kapil Sibal calls rebel MPs' NCPI merger move 'theatre of the absurd'

Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Sunday criticised the decision of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), describing the move as "theatre of the absurd". In a post on social media, Sibal argued that the MPs could merge with another political party only if the Trinamool Congress approved such a move and stated that the party should seek their disqualification.

His remarks came after rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar announced that 20 dissident MPs had decided to merge with the Tripura-based NCPI while extending support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). After meeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Dastidar said the group had submitted a letter seeking separate seating arrangements in Parliament. She stated that the MPs, who constitute more than two-thirds of the party's Lok Sabha strength, would work with the NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rebel MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the group had formally joined the NCPI, a recognised regional political party, and that the question of which faction represented the "real TMC" would ultimately be decided by the courts. He further stated that the Speaker had verified the signatures submitted by the MPs and acknowledged that the dissident group represented more than two-thirds of the party's Lok Sabha members. According to Bandyopadhyay, the group would seek to claim the Trinamool Congress name when Parliament reconvenes in July.

The Nationalist Citizens Party of India is a Tripura-based registered unrecognised political party with limited electoral presence. Its election symbol is an ink pen nib with seven strokes. The party contested three seats in the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections. NCPI founder Santanu Dey, who describes himself as an RSS activist and social worker, expressed reservations about the merger and noted that his party had contested against the Trinamool Congress in Tripura. According to sources, the rebel MPs chose to align with the NCPI due to legal complications associated with forming a separate parliamentary bloc.