No contradiction in getting House panel head role as TMC MP: Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) lost chairperson berths in a reshuffle of Parliamentary standing committees on Saturday. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Sudhanshu Trivedi was named commerce committee head, and rebel TMC leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was made chairperson of the chemicals and fertilisers panel. Dastidar is considered the face of the TMC rebel faction, which claimed to have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). The merger is pending before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Dastidar spoke to HT about her new role as House panel head. Edited excerpts:

Your group wants recognition as NCPI. But you will lead the chemicals and fertilizers panel as a TMC member of Parliament (MP)...

Chairpersons of 16 parliamentary committees are decided by the Lok Sabha Speaker. The remaining eight are decided by the Rajya Sabha Chairman. The head of the Parliamentary committee on home affairs is always a Rajya Sabha member. The finance committee is led by a Lok Sabha member. The selection depends less on party affiliation and more on the presiding officers. While parties are consulted regarding which members should serve on which committees, the ultimate decision rests with the presiding officers.

There is absolutely no contradiction here. Those who raise objections are driven by a sense of inferiority or desperation. Furthermore, when two-thirds of the elected members have submitted a letter demonstrating their shift in allegiance from one party (TMC) to another (NCPI), the decision regarding where they should sit rests with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The Speaker has already allowed us a separate seating arrangement. A party (TMC) whose symbol and bank accounts are frozen, if it wishes to stir up a controversy over this now, it is their prerogative. The responsibility entrusted to me for serving the nation is of immense importance. I have humbly accepted it and expressed my gratitude to the Speaker. I also extend my thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah.

Your rivals have questioned why you are taking a long time to reply to the notice of disqualification...

They are the ones who created this complication. There was really no need to make such a fuss just because I voluntarily stated I would leave the party. They have been filing one complaint after another. They kept filing case after case, prompting the Speaker to issue notices asking for our response. We submitted our replies. Then, subsequently, they sought further information and demanded more responses. That is likely why there is a delay in obtaining the documents.

One of the lawmakers in your group, Jagadish Basunia, said you will join the BJP. Is the plan in place?

There is no such decision. It is his personal opinion.

NCPI announced an organisational reshuffle. But some of the MPs—Sudip Bandopadhyay, you, and Shatabdi Ray—did not get any post...

There is a distinction between the main party and the parliamentary party. The main party focuses on organisational activities, whereas the parliamentary party handles Lok Sabha business such as introducing and passing bills. As the chief, I will make decisions involving everyone. That is a distinct role, whereas this is a completely different one. Therefore, conflating the two would be problematic.

What are your plans for the panel you have been assigned, given that you are a doctor as well?

The committee will work for the people and the country. It also oversees the pharmaceutical sector. If we can produce the necessary raw materials domestically, we will save foreign exchange.

Furthermore, if we can administer medication to patients in a purified form, recovery will be faster since these substances are often excreted via the kidneys or the liver. We must focus on purification and research to ensure that the excretion process does not cause harm. Regarding fertilizers, specifically urea, we use it extensively because ours is an agrarian economy. We are the third-largest producer globally. There are reports indicating that urea by-products can be harmful. So, should we really place even greater emphasis on urea?