Opposition parties staged a walkout from a government-convened all-party meeting on Sunday, 19 July in New Delhi, protesting the inclusion of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) — described by the Opposition as an unrecognised rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) — in the proceedings. Opposition leaders uniformly condemned the move as 'unconstitutional' and a 'murder of democracy.'

What Triggered the Walkout

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said the core objection was straightforward: 'The concern is that an unrecognised party has been called to this meeting... there is no scope for a separate bloc, why have they been invited by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister?' According to Roy, the NCPI's presence at a formal all-party meeting lent it a legitimacy it has not earned through any constitutional or parliamentary process.

Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav elaborated, noting that the Table Office's own circulated list of MPs recognises TMC as holding 28 seats in Parliament. Despite this, a breakaway group of 20 MPs — whose petition for recognition remains undecided before the Lok Sabha Speaker — was invited to the meeting. 'I believe this entire process being followed by the government is undemocratic and unconstitutional,' Yadav said.

Opposition Voices Unite Against the Move

Communist Party of India (CPI) MP P. Sandosh Kumar directed his criticism at both Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, calling the walkout 'a protest against the undemocratic approach' of both officials. 'The ruling party is engineering defections in political parties, which is not good for a healthy democracy,' he said.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari questioned the procedural basis for the invitation: 'The case regarding the split in the Trinamool Congress is still pending. No decision has been taken yet, so how was a notification issued? How was a separate bloc recognised? How were they invited?' Tiwari called the proceedings 'an unconstitutional act.'

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji framed the issue in broader terms, describing what is happening across the country as 'the systematic breaking of political parties by luring away MPs through every possible means.'

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP N. D. Gupta pointed to his own party's situation as a parallel case: 'In our case, out of the 10 MPs of the Rajya Sabha, seven have been hijacked, and our petition to decide whether this is valid or not is pending. In spite of this fact, they have been allotted independent separate seats in the Rajya Sabha... this is a mere hijack and murder of democracy.'

The Defection Debate and Its Constitutional Stakes

At the heart of the controversy is the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution — the anti-defection law — which bars elected members from voting against their party's direction or voluntarily giving up party membership without losing their seat. The Speaker's office has yet to rule on the disqualification petitions filed against the breakaway TMC and AAP MPs. Inviting these members to an official all-party meeting before any such ruling, critics argue, prejudges the outcome and gives the breakaway groups a de facto legitimacy they do not yet hold.

Notably, this is not the first time the government has faced accusations of facilitating intra-party splits. Opposition parties have repeatedly alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has used institutional mechanisms to weaken rival formations — a charge the government has consistently denied.

Government's Position and What Comes Next

Neither Speaker Om Birla nor Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had issued a formal response to the walkout at the time of reporting. Dharmendra Yadav said the entire Opposition remained united: 'No matter how much the government tries to engineer defections or create divisions, it has not been able to create any differences among the opposition parties.'

The Speaker's pending rulings on the disqualification petitions — covering both the TMC and AAP breakaway groups — are now expected to face intensified political scrutiny. How those decisions land will likely determine whether this walkout marks the beginning of a broader parliamentary confrontation.