‘New category’: Mahua Moitra slams Centre over ‘traitor bench’ seating arrangement for rebel TMC MPs

TMC MP Mahua Moitra. File. | Photo Credit: ANI Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra slammed the government over the seating arrangements and the inclusion of rebel lawmakers in official proceedings, terming it a “traitor bench.” Also Read : Parliament Monsoon Session updatesSpeaking to reporters, Ms. Moitra revealed that the joint Opposition staged a walkout during the all-party meeting over the presence of 20 lawmakers facing disqualification petitions. She claimed these members have aligned with an unrecognised faction, the NCPI, despite their merger not yet receiving formal approval from the Speaker.The TMC leader argued that the traditional layout of the house has been compromised to accommodate the rebel group, creating what she labelled a new parliamentary classification.She said, “...Today we have seen that these 20 renegade traitor MPs whose disqualification petitions are pending, who claim to have joined an unrecognised party NCPI, but their merger has not been approved by the Speaker— yet they were invited to the All-Party meeting yesterday.”“All the Opposition walked out in protest; today we see that the Govt has changed the seats. There used to be Treasury Bench and Opposition Bench,” she added.Highlighting the opposition’s concern over the new seating arrangements, Mahua Moitra said, “Today, a new category has come, the Traitor Bench. Sudip Bandyopadhyay is going to be sitting in the front as the leader of the Traitor Bench. This is a new day in the Parliamentary democracy.” Published - July 20, 2026 04:27 pm IST