Mamata directs MPs to attend LS on No trust voting day

New Delhi: Caught unaware by quick reflex from the ruling dispensation, the Trinamool Congress MPs staged walkout in Lok Sabha on Wednesday as the date for debate and voting on no-confidence motion was not deferred till Monday.

However, minutes later at the directives of party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Baneree,whip has been issued and all 34 sitting lawmakers have been directed to attend Friday's proceedings in Lok Sabha from 1100 hrs till the voting.

Sources said party MP and former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi spoke to Ms Banerjee over phone and took the "necessary instructions".

"A whip will be issued asking Lok Sabha MPs to be present in Lok Sabha and vote in favour of No Trustmotion. All our 34 MPs have been asked to come to Delhi," Trinamool source said.

Trinamool Congress missed Wednesday's Business Advisory Committee meeting as both Sudip Bandyopadhyay (floor leader) and Kalyan Banerjee (chief whip in Lok Sabha) were out of Delhi.

"Most of our MPs are busy in respective constituencies preparing for July 21 Shahid Diwas. Hence both Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kalyan Banerjee were not in the capital and so they missed the BAC meeting whereSpeaker Sumitra Mahajan spoke about the date (Friday, July 20) for the debate and voting on No Confidencemotion," a party source told UNI. 

Mr Trivedi's request in Lok Sabha on Wednesday to postpone the discussion and voting till Monday was not entertained.While the Speaker has said she would not entertain a debate on the ruling of the Chair, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar outrightly rejected the suggestion to change the date.

Ms Banerjee has, however, directed the party MPs in Lok Sabha to be present in the House on Friday for debate and voting - saying "parliamentary democracy and functioning of MPs in the House of the people was most important element and thus should get priority over other political works".(UNI)