New Delhi to Host BRICS Parliamentary Meet as Speaker Addresses Disqualification Case

New Delhi will host the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum for two days on October 26 and 27, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced on Thursday. The conference theme focuses on fostering parliaments for people-centric development. Presiding officers, MPs, and dignitaries from BRICS and partner countries will take part in bilateral and multilateral discussions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the event, though no separate invitations were sent to opposition leaders of the two Houses. Discussions will cover institutional resilience, ethical artificial intelligence, digital transformation, global governance reform, and sustainable development. India received confirmation from most participants, but Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia stated they cannot attend.

Questions on Parliament and TMC Defection

During the press conference, Mr. Birla avoided questions about the delayed proroguation of the Monsoon Session and talk of a special sitting for delimitation legislation. He stated that Article 85 of the Constitution gives the Speaker no role in calling or proroguing a session. On the disqualification petition against 20 MPs who left the Trinamool Congress, he said he will speed up the process after receiving their responses. These lawmakers joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India after the West Bengal Assembly elections and sought separate recognition in the House. The TMC argued that their move amounts to giving up party membership under the anti-defection law. The Supreme Court previously stated on September 23 that it expects an expeditious decision on the disqualification plea.

Context

The BRICS group brings together emerging economies to strengthen cooperation on global issues. The anti-defection law in India sets strict rules to prevent legislators from switching political parties after elections.