The opposition’s united front faced a setback on Tuesday as Congress filed a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla without the participation of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). While 118 MPs from parties like SP and DMK signed the motion, not a single TMC leader was part of the list submitted to the Secretary General.

TMC’s leadership, including Abhishek Banerjee, had proposed a different strategy: sending a formal letter signed by 200 MPs as an ultimatum to the Speaker. They suggested giving the Speaker a few days to rectify his conduct before moving the motion. However, Congress decided to move ahead unilaterally, disregarding TMC’s suggestion. “We didn’t have an objection to the motion, but we wanted to follow a process of giving an ultimatum first,” Abhishek Banerjee remarked. This mismatch in strategy raises serious questions about the long-term stability of the INDIA alliance in Parliament.