Speaker Birla urged to reconsider chemical committee chair amid party dispute

New Delhi, 3 October 2026 – Abhishek Banerjee, a senior Trinamool Congress parliamentarian, has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla demanding the cancellation of the recent appointment of the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers.

Banerjee referred to Lok Sabha Bulletin‑Part II No. 6185 and underscored that the individual named as chair is currently the subject of a disqualification petition filed under the Tenth Schedule, which has not yet been decided by the Speaker.

He reminded the Speaker of his 23 September 2026 correspondence, which asked that any legislator facing a disqualification petition be barred from being considered for permanent departmental committee posts until the matter is resolved.

The MP also stressed that the Trinamool Congress had already nominated a candidate to retain the chairmanship of a standing committee, and that the new appointment ignored both the party’s objection and its nomination.

According to Banerjee, the Digital Parliament portal still lists 28 ITC members for the committee, while the appointed chair has claimed a merger‑based link to the Nationalist Citizens’ Party of India (NCPI) – a claim that is contested in the pending disqualification case.

He asked the Speaker to clarify which political party now controls the committee, why the chairmanship was transferred away from the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) despite its explicit wishes, and on what grounds the NCPI affiliation was accepted.

Banerjee concluded by seeking a withdrawal of the appointment, a re‑assignment of the chair to an AITC‑nominated member, expedited rulings on the outstanding disqualification petitions, and a written reply to his written queries.