3 NCPI MPs skip NDA meet, deny association with alliance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and leaders of the NDA allies on Tuesday attended the ruling coalition’s weekly meeting of parliamentarians, where the absence of three NCPI MPs stood out amid signs of differences within the 20-member group of TMC rebels over its association with the alliance.

Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan and Yusuf Pathan, representing West Bengal’s Jangipur, Murshidabad and Baharampur Lok Sabha constituencies respectively, had also stayed away from first NDA parliamentary party “Mangal Milan” meeting attended by NCPI MPs on June 28. Speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, Khan said, “We are not with the NDA, and neither are we going to the BJP, rest assured. There was an NDA meeting today also, and the three of us did not go. But we will attend the meeting called by the chief minister (Suvendu Adhikari) because it is about developmental works in my seat. We will not support any step that is against Muslims as well.”  West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari also visited Parliament House during the day.

Sources said that the three MPs, who represent Muslim-majority constituencies, “chose to skip the NDA meeting after a section of their voters questioned their perceived association with the BJP”.

The absence of the three MPs assumes significance as the recognition of the 20-member NCPI group in the Lok Sabha is still pending before Speaker Om Birla.

The breakaway group can potentially seek protection under the anti-defection law only if it accounts for at least two-thirds of the TMC’s original strength of 28 Lok Sabha MPs.

NCPI floor leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay also attended the NDA parliamentary party meeting for the first time on Tuesday. He could not attend the June 28 meeting.

“I am one of the senior-most parliamentarians in the country. All are united in NCPI. It is a good experience,” he said, playing down suggestions of rift among the dissident MPs.

At the meeting, held at the Parliament House complex, BJP president Nitin Nabin was seen sitting next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya gave a detailed presentation on sports, and said the Modi government adopted a sports policy in 2014 which resulted in India now winning several medals, including gold, in international sporting events such as the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

He said a detailed presentation was also given on employment-generating avenues and parliamentarians were told that job opportunities for youth had increased steadily.

“We were told at the Mangal Milan that between 2004 and 2014, when UPA was in power, only 2.89 crore youth got jobs while between 2014 and 2026, a total of 17.1 crore youth got employment,” Tiwari said.

The BJP MP from Delhi said a presentation was also made at the NDA parliamentary party meeting on various social security schemes of the government.

Another BJP MP, P P Chaudhary said, “Mangal Milan mein mangal hi hota hai (Only auspicious things happen in Mangal Milan).”

Representatives of other NDA allies JD(U), JD(S), NCP, Shiv Sena and others also attended the meeting.

Those who attended the meeting included Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, among others.