Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, Nitin Gadkari and others during the NDA Parliamentary meeting, also known as Mangal Milan, at the Parliament House, in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Photo |PTI
India

TMC rebels in NDA meet for first time

This was the first meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party, conducted after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.

Rajesh Kumar Thakur

NEW DELHI: Twenty Lok Sabha MPs, who recently deserted the Trinamool Congress and became associated with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), on Tuesday attended the first NDA meeting held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After the meeting, NCPI MP Sayoni Ghosh told reporters, “We had a discussion on free trade agreements (FTAs). It was a positive and enriching discussion.” She called up all MPs support ‘The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill 2026’—an anti-paper leak bill.

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that it was the first time that all 20 NCPI MPs had been invited to the NDA’s ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting. “We came to know about the progress of the country, about FTAs, farmers... With the data we got, we will be able to make people understand about these issues,” she said.

Actor-turned-politician Satabdi Roy said, “We didn’t see such things in the past. It was well organised. Leaders informed us about which bills are coming. The Prime Minister didn’t speak”.

This was the first meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party, conducted after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.

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