TDP, TMC MPs spar over room in Parliament

 A row erupted between Trinamool Congress and Telugu Desam Party over space in Parliament House with each side staking claim to a particular room. The bone of contention is Room no 5 on the first floor, which has been occupied by the Andhra Pradesh party for many years but was allotted to the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit this August 6.

TDP has been given a room on the third floor of Parliament House. However, the party, which has used Room no 5 “for the last 30 years”, was in no mood to vacate it.

On Monday, after finding that the nameplates of their leaders had been removed from outside the room, the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in this regard.

On Tuesday, TMC members Sudip Bandopadhyay, Kalyan Banerjee and Sultan Ahmed visited the room and put their nameplates outside. They also held a brief meeting inside the room at around 2.30 pm. But half-an-hour later, TDP MPs arrived there in whose presence the nameplates of their party leaders YS Chowdhary, Thota Narsimhan and CM Ramesh were re-installed there.

….

Talking to reporters, Chowdhary said they will meet the Speaker over the “uncultured behaviour” of TMC members. “TMC’s uncultured approach has led to this,” Chowdhary charged.

Asked about the controversy, TDP Lok Sabha MP Narayana Rao said, “We have been occupying the room for the last 30 years. A few nameplates were removed. It is not democratic.”

He said the party has 25 MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha combined and added that while the members should follow the rules set by the Speaker, “removing nameplates is not democratic”.

The letter of allotment issued by DS Malha, a director in the Lok Sabha secretariat, states that as approved by the competent authority, Room no 5 has been allotted to TMC for the tenure of the 16th Lok Sabha. The letter asks TMC to take occupancy of the room and notify the same.

Meanwhile, Bandyopadhyay, who is the TMC’s floor leader in the Lok Sabha, later said his party’s MPs had “peacefully” taken possession of the room. “No forcible occupation. We did it peacefully. We went there and sat (for a) while as we took possession,” he said.

“There was no tension, no talk of differences. TMC went to take possession of the room (after) receiving the letter from the Speaker’s office. The Speaker’s office directed us to take possession of the room allotted to us. We are (total) 46 MPs and went accordingly,” he added.