Nationalist Citizens Party of India holds Parliamentary Party meeting in Samvidan Sadan ahead of monsoon session

The meeting is expected to discuss the party's strategy ahead of the Monsoon Session.

Twenty rebel MPs of the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha had earlier announced that they were merging with NCPI.

A day earlier, the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla approved separate seating in the Lok Sabha for 20 MPs of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).

However, the merger of rebel TMC MPs has not yet been approved by the Speaker.

Earlier, Rebel Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay attended the all-party meeting, convened the day before the Monsoon Session of Parliament, as the leader of the Nationalist Citizen Party of India (NCPI).

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had invited Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar to attend the all-party meeting scheduled for Sunday.

Bandyopadhyay asserted that the "House belongs to the Opposition" while calling on the government to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament.

Speaking to ANI on the all-party meeting, Bandyopadhyay said they were invited to the meeting.

"We attended--representing the new party with 20 MPs. Our stance is that the House belongs to the Opposition; this must be acknowledged. The government, too, must agree and take the initiative to ensure the House functions smoothly," he said.

He said earlier that the party is "secular" in its thinking.

"Let the House run and equally, we are the firm believers of the principle of secularism, communal harmony and unity of the country. We are not ditching from this line. We are completely secular by nature," he said.

"We are committed to our party's principles: secularism, communal harmony, and national unity. These are the firm policies enshrined in the NCPI's constitution. We believe this is significant because, among the 20 MPs who formed the NCPI, three are Muslim," Bandyopadhyay said.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on July 20 and continue until August 13, with a break for Independence Day celebrations before the Houses reconvene if required. (ANI)