TMC MLA Udayan Guha Arrested, Abhishek Banerjee Summoned by Lok Sabha Speaker

Former TMC MLA Udayan Guha was arrested in Kolkata, escalating political tensions. Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla summoned TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee to discuss 20 rebel MPs who merged with the NCPI, seeking separate parliamentary seating. Banerjee, previously unavailable due to ED questioning, will now meet the Speaker on June 19.

Kolkata: In a significant development, former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA from Dinhata, Udayan Guha, on Wednesday, was arrested by police in Kolkata's Phoolbagan area, officials said.

The arrest marks a high-profile escalation in the ongoing legal and political climate in West Bengal.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has called upon the Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for a discussion on June 19 regarding the 20 rebel MPs and his stance on the matter, sources said on Wednesday.

This comes amid growing dissension within the TMC following the Assembly elections, as a total of 20 rebel lawmakers of the TMC had on June 14 met with Speaker Om Birla and submitted a letter about the merger of their group with the Tripura-based Nationalist Congress Party of India (NCPI). They also sought a separate seating arrangement in the Lower House of Parliament.

According to sources, Speaker Om Birla is reviewing the status of the 20 rebel MPs and will make a decision after hearing both factions.

This followed a previously scheduled summons that Abhishek Banerjee could not attend, according to sources. According to TMC sources, the Lok Sabha Speaker's office had emailed Banerjee at 2:00 PM on June 15 regarding the meeting.

Sources said that Banerjee was appearing before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning, a process during which he did not have access to his mobile phone or personal emails.

The communication from the Speaker's Office reportedly gave Banerjee a two-hour window, directing him to meet the Speaker in Delhi by 4 pm the same day.

According to sources, within an hour of the email being sent, the Speaker's office placed a phone call to Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad to inform him of the scheduled appointment.

Following the call, Kirti Azad physically visited the Speaker's Office to apprise officials of Banerjee's unavailability. Azad informed the office that Banerjee was currently cooperating with government agencies in an ongoing investigation and was in the middle of an ED interrogation session.

On behalf of the party, Azad sought a later date and time for the meeting, reiterating Banerjee's intent to "cooperate fully" with the Speaker's proceedings.

The Speaker is expected to deliberate on the rebel faction's merger request, which has triggered a fresh legal and political tug-of-war within the TMC. While the rebels seek recognition for their move, the TMC leadership has moved to protect its flock and challenge the validity of the request.

By merging with the NCPI, the rebel group claims to have bypassed the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. Under the anti-defection law, a merger is permissible if at least two-thirds of a legislative party joins another. With 20 MPs in their camp, the rebels assert they have comfortably exceeded this threshold.

The Nationalist Citizens Party of India, a Tripura-based party, has suddenly been into the national limelight. Despite its limited organisational footprint, the party has welcomed the influx of high-profile leaders, with national organising secretary Shantanu Dey stating that he is eager to see the party grow and work in alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision.