New Delhi, July 19, 2026
The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) on Sunday criticised Opposition parties for walking out of the all-party meeting convened by the Centre, calling the protest unprecedented and inappropriate. The Opposition MPs, however, returned shortly afterwards and participated in the meeting.
Speaking to IANS, NCPI MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said: “We have 20 MPs with us. It’s the first time the NDA will have three Muslim MPs. Out of 20, we have more than one-third female MPs, and we are going to be the second-largest party in the NDA. So, we have our own stand.”
Bandyopadhyay mentioned that he has been a Member of Parliament since the 12th Lok Sabha. “I have attended 100 all-party leaders’ meetings in my life. I have never seen opposition members walking out like this. I thought they would go out permanently. But unfortunately, they came back,” he said.
He further said: ‘We are firm believers in the principles of secularism, communal harmony and unity of the country.”
Echoing a similar view, NCPI MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said: “This has never happened before, walking out of an all-party meeting. This is ridiculous.”
“If they (Opposition) wanted to say something, then they could have said, discussions are allowed in a democracy, but walking out from an all-party meeting has never happened…it does not suit them,” she told reporters.
Meanwhile, the NCPI issued a notice on Sunday regarding the merging of 20 MPs from West Bengal into the party.
The names of MPs who have been mentioned in the notice are – Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi Roy, Mala Roy, Mitali Bag, Partha Bhowmick, Adhikari Deepak Dev, Sharmila Sarkar, Sayoni Ghosh, Bapi Haldar, Kalipada Saren Kherwal, Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, Prasun Banerjee, Arup Chakraborty, Asit Kumar Mal, Yusuf Pathan, June Maliah, Khalilur Rahaman, Md. Abu Taher Khan and Rachna Banerjee.
Further, the notice mentioned: “Their joining strengthens our collective resolve and commitment to public service. We firmly believe that our concerted efforts will substantially contribute to the process of nation-building.”(Agency)
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