At a press conference held here, Gokhale said the NCPI was registered with the Election Commission (EC) in West Bengal in 2023 and had contested elections only once, in Tripura, but 20 TMC MPs have claimed to have joined it.
He said his RTI, filed with the EC on June 16, sought records relating to the NCPI’s registration, constitution, office-bearers, contributions, audited accounts, election expenditure and participation in elections, besides records of any inspection or inquiry into the party.
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The application also sought copies of contribution reports filed by the party under Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act for every financial year since its registration, as well as records of donations and contributions received by it. It also asked for records of any verification or field inquiry into whether the party’s registered office exists and whether it is functioning.
“It has been over 84 days and the Election Commission has just not responded,” Gokhale said at a press conference here.
He said the issue had assumed significance because of a recent report highlighting the finances of some registered unrecognised political parties, and questioned whether the EC had conducted any inspection of the NCPI.”What is this NCPI? This Registered Unrecognised Political Party, does it even exist in the first place? Who are the office-bearers? Where is the constitution of the party?” he asked.
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He also alleged that the party had not filed contribution reports for the last two years, and questioned how 20 sitting TMC MPs could claim to have joined an organisation whose credentials and functioning, according to him, had not been adequately examined by the EC.
The second RTI, filed the same day with the Lok Sabha Secretariat, sought records relating to the claim by the MPs to have left the TMC and joined the NCPI. It sought the representation submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the complete list of MPs who signed it, the TMC’s communication objecting to the arrangement, and all subsequent correspondence, file notings and decisions.
It also sought records relating to seating arrangements, recognition of parties and groups in the House, communications with the EC and any petition or notice under the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution.
Gokhale said the Lok Sabha Secretariat too had not responded to the RTI after 84 days.
He linked the issue to the larger dispute over control of the TMC, including the rival claim before the EC involving Ritabrata Banerjee’s faction. Gokhale said the party’s identity and symbol could not simply be separated from the organisation led by Mamata Banerjee.
“The symbol of the party has always been Mamata Banerjee. You cannot take that away,” he said.
Gokhale also referred to the Supreme Court proceedings on the disqualification petition concerning the 20 MPs and said the speaker had issued notices to them, while they had sought additional time to respond.
Asked about the EC calling representatives of TMC, as well as the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction for separate meetings on September 12, Gokhale said a five-member delegation comprising Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien, Lok Sabha Chief Whip Kalyan Banerjee, Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Sagarika Ghosh, Gokhale and advocate Abhinav Singh will go for the meeting.
The former Rajya Sabha MP said the TMC would attend Saturday’s meeting “as is our duty” despite its reservations about the poll panel.
“This is a delegation that has been chosen by a chairperson. A five-member delegation and we will be visiting the ECI on Saturday,” Gokhale said.
