Seeking strong action against its rebels, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress on Friday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to disqualify 20 of its MPs for revolting against the party and trying to "merge" with a lesser-known political party.
TMC general secretary and its Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee placed the demand before Birla by submitting 20 separate petitions against the 20 rebels seeking their disqualification after the breakaway faction sought recognition as a separate block in the Lower House and announced their plans to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a registered unrecognised political party headquartered in Howrah in West Bengal.