Abhishek Banerjee Challenges Appointment of Parliamentary Committee Chairperson
Abhishek Banerjee raises objections over the appointment of a chairperson for the Parliamentary Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers.
New Delhi, October 3 (Daily Kiran) : Abhishek Banerjee, a leader of the Trinamool Congress, has formally expressed his objections regarding the appointment of a chairperson for the Parliamentary Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers. In a letter addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Banerjee called for the reversal of the appointment and requested that the committee be chaired by a member nominated by his party.
In his correspondence, Banerjee referenced the Lok Sabha Bulletin-Part II number 6185 dated October 3, 2026. He claimed that the newly appointed chairperson has pending disqualification petitions against them under the Tenth Schedule, which is currently with the Lok Sabha Speaker.
On September 23, 2026, Banerjee had previously requested that decisions on disqualification petitions be made before any appointments are considered for the relevant 20 members in departmental parliamentary committees. He emphasized that the Trinamool Congress should retain the chairmanship of a permanent committee, asserting that his party had submitted a nomination to keep the current chairperson in position.
Banerjee accused the authorities of ignoring both the party’s objections and its nomination in the recent appointment to the Chemicals and Fertilizers Committee. He pointed out that the digital parliament website still lists 28 members from the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), while the newly appointed chairperson claims affiliation with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) based on a merger. This merger is currently a matter of dispute in the pending disqualification proceedings.
He questioned the allocation of the committee, asking which political party it has been assigned to. If the chairmanship was meant for the AITC, he inquired why the party’s chosen member was replaced. Conversely, if the NCPI was granted the position, he sought clarification on the legitimacy of that affiliation and the basis for their appointment as chairperson.
Banerjee argued that appointing a member to chair a parliamentary committee while their party affiliation is under review contravenes parliamentary decorum. He reiterated that this appointment cannot be recognized as representing the AITC’s share of committee leadership.
In conclusion, Banerjee urged Speaker Om Birla to rescind the appointment and grant the chairmanship of the Chemicals and Fertilizers Committee to the member formally nominated by the AITC. He also requested a swift resolution to the pending disqualification petitions against the involved members and a written response from the Speaker addressing his concerns.
