Trinamool Congress is mulling the possibilities of moving an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on the floor of the Parliament. The initial discussions on the matter were made at a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, chaired by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with the Trinamool Congress members in the two Houses of the Parliament.
However, a party MP who did not wish to be named said that the discussions were just at the nascent stage, considering the numerical inadequacy of Trinamool Congress representation in both Houses of the Parliament presently. Considering that Kumar, as the CEC, enjoys some constitutional protections, an impeachment motion could be moved on the floor of the Parliament provide the proposal contains the signature of at least 100 MPs.
However, considering the total of Trinamool Congress MPs in the two Houses of the Parliament currently stands at just 41, the party will have to depend on the support of other opposition parties in the country to get the necessary number of signatures for the proposal on the impeachment motion.
“In the meeting on Tuesday, a discussion was conducted on which are the other non-BJP parties, especially those from the opposition INDIA block, could be approached to get the necessary number in the matter,” said the Trinamool Congress MP. He also said that whether the move succeeds or fails, it will be a win-win situation for the party.
“If the move succeeds, Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee will automatically become the lead faces of the anti-BJP movement nationally. If the move fails, then the party could raise questions on the sincerity of the other opposition parties in countering the BJP at the national level,” the party MP said.
In fact, Mamata Banerjee was asked questions on this impeachment issue earlier in the day, while she and Trinamool Congress’s general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, were at a press conference in New Delhi. However, the Chief Minister avoided giving a direct answer to the question.
Political observers feel that even if Trinamool Congress can move the motion getting the required number of signatories, there is no possibility of getting the motion passed on the floor of the Parliament, considering the numerical balance between NDA and the INDIA block. “However, the move will surely give Mamata Banerjee a chance to project her as the lead face of the anti-BJP movement nationally,” said a city-based political observer.