NEW DELHI: Breakaway Trinamool Congress leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay has urged PM Narendra Modi to appoint a NDA convener, saying it will allow the governing alliance parties to convey their views to him and exchange ideas, more so when Parliament is not in session.He made the suggestion to Modi as he met him at the tea hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for leaders of different parties on Thursday.“I made the request as there is no connection and communication, especially when session is over,” he said, adding that a convener will serve as a point of contact for other parties and keep the communication line open.With Birla also present, the sixth-term Lok Sabha MP urged him for an early decision on the merger of his faction 20 MPs with Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).While they are now part of NDA and its second biggest constituent after BJP, they are shown as AITC (All India Trinamool Congress) MPs by Sansad TV when they speak in Lok Sabha. “Our issue should be sorted out soon,” he said, adding that it allows TMC, which is now left with only eight MPs in the House, to question their group’s legitimacy.While BJP allies like George Fernandes and Sharad Yadav served as NDA convener in the past, especially during the Vajpayee govt, no one has held the position for several years.TMC is, however, preparing to move the Supreme Court against the rebel Lok Sabha MPs to seek their disqualification.Party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had met Birla on Jul 27, urging him to expedite his decision on its petition seeking disqualification of the 20 MPs.
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Banerjee, a Lok Sabha MP, had also sought revocation of changes made to the seating arrangements of his party’s MPs to allow the rebel members to sit separately. He had submitted separate letters to the speaker on each of his concerns.He had met the Speaker on Wednesday over the issue.“If the Speaker does not decide on these petitions within the period required by law and applicable judicial directions, I will be compelled to approach the Supreme Court and seek its intervention,” Abhishek said.
