Kolkata: Amid tussle between the state government and Governor CV Ananda Bose, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Bandhopadhyay on Friday had administered the oath of two newly elected Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs after a month of the election results.
The Speaker administered the oath during an emergency session that was called to discuss the Business Advisory Committee. Notably, on Thursday late evening the Governor had appointed Deputy Speaker Ashish Bandhopadhyay to administer the oath of the new MLAs Sayantika Banerjee and Reyat Hossain Sarkar.
During the emergency session Ashish Bandhopadhyay refused to administer the oath as the Speaker was present in the meeting. After the oath, TMC Bhagawangola MLA Reyat Hossain Sarkar said that the oath should have been administered long back.
“We just don’t know what is our fault and why there was such a delay. Maybe, we are from TMC that is why there is a delay,” said Sarkar. Incidentally, the Raj Bhavan sources, had time and again mentioned that Bose had asked both the MLAs to visit Governor House on June 26 for oath which both the MLAs had declined.
Meanwhile, according to Raj Bhavan sources, a report is being sent to President Droupadi Murmu that despite Bose appointing the Deputy Speaker to administer the oath, the oath is administered by the Speaker which is an alleged violation of the Constitution.