New Delhi Three Lok Sabha MPs, including former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, skipped the NDA’s weekly parliamentary meeting on Tuesday for the second time. Their absence has again raised questions about their alignment with the ruling alliance. Leaders of NDA constituent parties attended the ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting of ruling alliance MPs in the Parliament complex. However, 3 out of 20 MPs from NCPI, a breakaway group from Trinamool Congress, were absent. Who Skipped The Meeting The three MPs who did not attend are: Yusuf Pathan – Baharampur, West Bengal Khalilur Rahman – Jangipur, West Bengal Abu Taher Khan – Murshidabad, West Bengal They had also skipped the first NDA parliamentary party meeting on July 21. “We Are Not With NDA” Speaking to the press in Parliament, Abu Taher Khan said, “We are not with the NDA and we are not joining the BJP. There was an NDA meeting today as well, but none of us three attended. However, we will attend the meeting called by the Chief Minister because it is related to development work in my constituency. We will not support any step against Muslims.” Sources said the three MPs, who represent Muslim-majority constituencies, decided to skip after a section of their voters questioned their alleged closeness to the BJP. West Bengal CM Shubhendu Adhikari also reached Parliament on Tuesday. NCPI Recognition Still Pending The absence is significant as the 20-member NCPI group’s recognition in the Lok Sabha is still pending before Speaker Om Birla. Under the anti-defection law, the breakaway group needs support of at least two-thirds of TMC’s 28 original MPs. Yusuf Pathan and Saayoni Ghosh are among the 20 MPs who decided to merge into NCPI. NCPI House leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay attended the NDA meeting for the first time. He said, “Everyone in NCPI is united. This is a good experience.” He dismissed speculation of differences. What Happened In The Meeting BJP President Nitin Nabin was seen seated next to PM Narendra Modi. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya gave a presentation on sports and said the Modi government’s 2014 sports policy has helped India win gold medals at Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. A presentation on job creation was also given. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said 17.1 crore youth got employment between 2014-2026, compared to 2.89 crore between 2004-2014. Social security schemes were also discussed. Leaders from BJP, JDU, JDS, NCP, Shiv Sena and NCPI attended. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were also present. Post navigation “Wherever It Is, Madrasa Breeds Terrorism”: Keshav Prasad Maurya 18 Prominent Leaders, Including Former IAS-IPS Officers, Join Congress
