Opposition Stage Symbolic Walk-out from All-Party Meet against the Presence of NCPI Members
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 19: All the opposition parties walked out of the customary all-party meet on Sunday convened by the government on the eve of the monsoon session of Parliament in a symbolic protest against the invitation extended to the breakaway group of the Trinamool Congress to attend the meeting.
They, however, returned to the meeting after a few minutes and participated in the deliberations.
About 20 of the 28 Lok Sabha members of the TMC had left the party in June and joined the so-called Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a Tripura-based party registered in Howrah district in West Bengal, making the hitherto unknown party a big name in the lower house. All the members of the NCPI have also extended support to the BJP-led NDA government at the centre.
The opposition questioned how the NCPI could be part of the all-party meeting, stressing that their merger has not been approved. “Our concern is that an unrecognised party, one whose name does not appear on the (parliament) website, has been called to the meeting,” Trinamool MP Saugata Roy said.
The TMC leader Mahua Moitra said “the merger of the 20 MPs with NCPI has not been approved by the Speaker.” “As per the information put out by the table office of Lok Sabha, TMC’s strength is 28. This merger has not been accepted. So, calling them for the meeting would not be right,” she said.
The Sansad website still shows the 20-odd rebel MPs who had joined the NCPI as members of the Trinamool.
“All Opposition parties staged a walkout from the All-Party meeting for a few minutes. This was a mark of protest against the decision of the Modi Govt to invite the NCPI that is a parking place for 20 ‘rebel’ TMC MPs when a final decision is still pending with the Speaker,” the Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
The opposition also protested against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s decisions allowing separate seating for the 20 rebel TMC lawmakers in the House, who have joined a little-known party, NCPI, and the merger of the rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The Congress’s Pramod Tiwari, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, described the walkout as a “symbolic boycott” against the NCPI being invited to the meeting. “Our biggest issue remains the Ram temple donation scam. We have raised eight-nine issues. This includes the NEET paper leak, agriculture, and E20 blend in petrol. We will oppose delimitation,” he added.
CPM leader John Brittas said the invitation to rebel TMC MPs to the all-party meet was a “miscarriage of justice”.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra said, “Today, the entire opposition including Congress, the Samajwadi Party, DMK, JMM, Aam Aadmi Party, National Conference, Left parties, Shiv Sena UBT have all walked out of the all party meeting in protest because the so-called NCPI, which is an unrecognized party, the strength of the All India Trinamool Congress in the list provided by the table office is shown to be 28 members. These so-called rebel 20 MPs, their merger has not been approved by the Speaker.
“The 20 disqualification petitions are still pending. After the 91st amendment, there is no room for a separate bloc. So on what grounds did the Parliamentary Affairs Minister extend an invitation to these 20 rebel MPs, and how are they attending this meeting? We have registered our strong protest and walked out as a symbol of our protest. And we thank all our opposition parties.”
Responding to the opposition protest, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said it is the government’s duty to invite everyone and that they could not ignore the NCPI since they have already sought recognition from the Speaker.
Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, leader of the NCPI bloc, has thanked the parliamentary affairs minister for allowing them to be part of the all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Asked when their merger with NCPI will be approved, she said, “Such a decision takes time. We will be submitting all the required papers to the Speaker.” She also described the allotment of seats to her faction away from the Trinamool as a “positive” move by the government.
Urging opposition parties not to cause any disruptions during the Parliament Monsoon Session beginning from Monday, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said all parties have a right to speak in a democracy but they must work together for the country, appealing to them to give their positive support to bills.
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Speaking to reporters after the all-party meeting in New Delhi, the union minister said opposition parties must avoid actions that bring Parliament to a halt and compromise its dignity. Thanking the opposition parties for their participating, Rijiju said Sunday’s all-party meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere.
“The people of the country want Parliament to function, and its failure to do so is detrimental to democracy. We have listened attentively to everyone’s views, and when we convene for the Monsoon Session tomorrow, the opposition parties will likely raise various issues,” Rijiju said.
Regarding speculations that the Centre is planning to bring the Delimitation Bill in the Monsoon Session, the parliamentary affairs minister said eight bills have been listed for the Monsoon Session and necessary procedures would be followed “if there is additional business.”
“Regarding these eight items of business: if we decide to introduce any others, we will discuss them in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) first. We will keep everyone informed; we will introduce bills only after apprising the opposition parties,” he said.
“As for other important matters—such as special mentions or Zero Hour proceedings—those take place as a matter of routine; every member has the right to voice their views during every parliamentary session. However, regarding government business, I will provide updates if anything is added to the list we have already circulated,” he added.
The Parliament Monsoon Session will begin on Monday and will continue till August 13.
Meanwhile, the former Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has urged the Centre to clarify its roadmap for implementing the 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, asserting that the quota should be based on the existing strength of the Lower House rather than being linked to a future delimitation exercise.
The demand was raised by DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva at the all-party meet. “The DMK is in favour of the Women’s Reservation Bill on the current strength in the Lok Sabha, but we want more clarity on the delimitation issue,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Siva said the delimitation exercise should not adversely affect the southern states and sought greater clarity from the government. “If it affects the southern states, it should be put in abeyance for 25 years,” Siva said.
Earlier, the DMK had decided that the party would continue to oppose the delimitation bill in its current form—which is based on population and linked to women’s reservation. The party will await the new bill and make further decisions based on the recommendations contained within it.
Congress has also announced to oppose Delimitation Bill and added that efforts would be made to maintain opposition unity on this issue. The Congress will also oppose the proposed bill regarding the synchronisation of tenures for MPs, MLAs, Chief Ministers, and the Prime Minister.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass the Lok Sabha floor test on April 17, 2026. The bill, which aimed to expand parliamentary seats and fast-track the 33% women’s reservation, received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling significantly short of the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting.
The opposition has said it is not against women’s reservation, but criticised delimitation, arguing that southern states could lose their representation in the Parliament, questioning its methodology. However, the government has been repeatedly defending delimitation, while assuring that southern states would not lose representation.
