New Delhi: In a dramatic development ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the INDIA bloc on Sunday walked out of the all-party meeting convened by the Centre, alleging that the government had invited 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs despite their merger not being recognised by the Speaker. 

Speaking to reporters after the walkout, TMC MP Mahua Moitra said the entire opposition, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), National Conference, Left parties and Shiv Sena (UBT), boycotted the meeting in protest.

Moitra alleged that the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry had treated the rebel MPs as a separate bloc despite their status remaining unresolved.

She said the list circulated by the Table Office showed the strength of the All India Trinamool Congress as 28 members, while the 20 rebel MPs were invited separately.

'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. On what grounds did the Parliamentary Affairs Minister invite these 20 rebel MPs?' Moitra questioned.

Calling the move unconstitutional, she said the opposition had registered its 'strong protest' by walking out of the meeting and thanked all INDIA bloc parties for standing together.

The Centre is yet to issue an official response to the opposition's allegations.

Government outlines agenda, Opposition lists key issues

The government convened the all-party meeting ahead of the Monsoon Session to brief political parties on its legislative agenda for the upcoming session.

Opposition parties, meanwhile, said they intended to raise several contentious issues, including the alleged Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust donation scam, examination paper leaks, delimitation, and the role of the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari accused the BJP of ‘betraying Lord Ram’ and alleged that public faith had been compromised, saying these issues would be among the Opposition's top priorities during the session.

Meanwhile, rebel Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay attended the meeting as the leader of the Nationalist Citizen Party of India (NCPI).

He said he was representing his new party while reiterating its commitment to secularism, communal harmony and allowing the Opposition's voice to be heard in Parliament.

Responding to TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee's appeal for rebel legislators to return to the party, Bandyopadhyay said each MP and MLA would take an individual decision.