Politics
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Rebel TMC MP says 17 NCPI MPs will join BJP
The Hindu··14 Sept
Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia said 17 of 20 NCPI Lok Sabha members will join the BJP around Durga Puja. NCPI is the Nationalist Citizens Party of India. He said a two-thirds switch would avoid anti-defection action. Fellow rebels Satabdi Roy and Abu Taher Khan rejected the claim. Samik Bhattacharya denied an open door.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Of the TMC's 27 Lok Sabha MPs, 20 joined the NCPI after the May Assembly polls.
- The TMC has sought their disqualification before Speaker Om Birla and in the Supreme Court.
- For a 20-member group, the anti-defection merger threshold is 14 MPs.
What's Happening
- Basunia said 17 MPs plan to join the BJP together before or after Durga Puja.
- Abu Taher Khan said he, Khalilur Rahaman and Yusuf Pathan will not join the BJP or NDA.
- Satabdi Roy said Basunia spoke personally and no group decision was taken.
Why Two-Thirds Matters
- The MPs announced a merger with NCPI on June 14 and backed the NDA.
- Lok Sabha records still list the 20 as TMC members, The Hindu reported.
- Basunia faced protests on returning to Sitai in Cooch Behar days earlier.
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