TMC Slams Parliamentary Panel Reconstitution After Losing Chairs

TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh calls the removal of Dola Sen and Kirti Azad from parliamentary committee chairmanships anti-democratic.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has launched a scathing attack on the recent reconstitution of Parliamentary Standing Committees, labeling the process as anti-democratic. The political outcry follows the removal of two TMC Members of Parliament from their positions as committee chairpersons during the annual reshuffle for the 2026-27 term.

"Should Not Happen in a Democracy"

Kunal Ghosh, a prominent TMC MLA, expressed sharp criticism regarding the decisions made during the restructuring of the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committees. He specifically pointed to the replacement of TMC MPs Dola Sen and Kirti Azad, suggesting that the new appointments are inappropriate.

“What happened in the Parliamentary Standing Committee should not happen in a democracy… They removed Dola and Kirti Azad and instead brought those wrong people into the committee,” Ghosh stated.

The Reshuffle Details

The reconstitution, which took effect on September 26, was announced by Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. As part of this administrative shift, the TMC lost control over two significant panels:

Committee on Commerce: BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi has taken over the chairperson role, replacing the TMC's Rajya Sabha MP, Dola Sen.
Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers: MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has replaced Kirti Azad as the head of this committee.

Key Appointments Across Major Panels

The Lok Sabha bulletin issued on Saturday detailed the leadership for 24 different panels. While the TMC faced losses, other major political figures secured or maintained key roles:

Congress and DMK Leadership

Shashi Tharoor (Congress): Re-appointed as Chairperson of the Committee on External Affairs.
Mukul Wasnik (Congress): Appointed to chair the Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports.
Tiruchi Siva (DMK): Appointed as Chairperson of the Committee on Industry.

BJP Leadership Roles

Nishikant Dubey (BJP): Will continue to lead the Committee on Communications and Information Technology.
Radha Mohan Das Agrawal (BJP): Appointed to chair the Committee on Home Affairs.
Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJP): Appointed to head the Committee on Finance.
Radha Mohan Singh (BJP): Will chair the Committee on Defence.
Anurag Singh Thakur (BJP): Named Chairperson of the Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP): Will lead the Committee on Water Resources.
Medha Vishram Kulkarni (BJP): Will head the Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

Other Notable Appointments

Sanjay Kumar Jha (JD-U) has been appointed to chair the Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture. Additionally, several high-profile leaders serve as members of these committees, including Rahul Gandhi on the Committee on Defence and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the Committee on Home Affairs.

Each of these parliamentary committees is composed of 31 members in total, consisting of 21 representatives from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. Despite the new appointments, several panels are reported to still have vacancies.