On Parl panel snub, TMC MP says Union minister called him to blame…

TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said his party wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene as they wanted to what was the reason for not including the TMC as head of any Parliamentary Standing Committees.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) that had one chairman in Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees would not have any with the reshuffle of the panels.

Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay. (ANI)

TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who was a chairman of parliamentary panel on food, consumer affairs and public distribution, said it was unfortunate that despite the party being the third-largest in the Lok Sabha and the second-largest in the Opposition, it would have no representation in any of the standing committees.

He further said that parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi told him that the ruling camp at the Centre was responding the way the Trinamool government had done with the BJP in Bengal.

“A few days ago, the parliamentary affairs minister called me and said that since the BJP was not given (any) parliamentary committee in West Bengal, so will do the same with you,” the Lok Sabha MP was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Stating that his party wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene, Bandyopadhyay said they wanted to what was the reason for not including the TMC as head of any Parliamentary Standing Committees.

“I called the speaker of the West Bengal Assembly, and he categorically told me we have offered the BJP nine state Standing Committees. We want Prime Minister Modi to intervene,” he added.

BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said the TMC had strangled democracy in Bengal during the last Assembly election and the party first needed to take care of that, adding the parliamentary standing committee head are appointed following a procedure.

In the latest reconstitution of parliamentary panels, notified by secretariats of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, chairpersons of several committees have been changed.

The number of committees are allocated in accordance with the strength of the party in either house of the parliament.

Besides Trinamool Congress, the Congress lost the home and the crucial information technology and communications panels among others.

Soon after the notifications were issued, TMC MP Derek O'Brien had tweeted, "NEW Standing committees announced. Third largest party in #Parliament, @AITCofficial also 2nd largest opposition party, DOES NOT GET EVEN ONE chairmanship. Also, largest oppn party loses two crucial chairmanships of Parliament committees. This is the stark reality of New India".