Deadlock over swearing-in ceremony of 2 TMC MLAs escalates as West Bengal Speaker seeks President’s help

Kolkata, June 27

The row over the venue for the swearing-in ceremony of two newly elected TMC MLAs intensified on Thursday as Speaker Biman Banerjee wrote to President Droupadi Murmu requesting her intervention to resolve the deadlock even as the legislators refused to take oath at Raj Bhavan as directed by Governor CV Ananda Bose and staged a dharna in the assembly complex.

The legislators, Baranagar MLA Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Bhagabangola MLA Rayat Hossain Sarkar, insisted that the oath-taking ceremony is held in the assembly citing the controversy over allegations of molestation of a woman at Raj Bhawan, prompting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to criticise the governor, asserting he has “no right to obstruct the process.”    The controversy deepened when the MLAs declined the governor’s invitation to take the oath at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.

Citing a convention, they claimed that bypoll winners are sworn in by the Speaker or Deputy Speaker.

Instead, the two MLAs sat on a dharna in front of the BR Ambedkar statue in the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha complex, demanding the governor facilitate their oath-taking in the assembly.

The governor, meanwhile, had left for New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon, leaving the issue unresolved.

Miffed over the developments, Speaker Banerjee described the situation as unacceptable and hoped for justice through the President’s intervention.

“I have written to the Honourable President and sought her intervention into the matter so that she can speak to the Governor and end this impasse. What is happening regarding the swearing-in of the MLAs is unacceptable. We hope to get justice,” Banerjee told PTI.

Calling the swearing in of MLAs a “constitutional convention”, Speaker Biman Banerjee said he considered it a “misfortune” to witness such developments in current times.

The Speaker said he wasn’t aware of any instance where an MP who won a bypoll was sworn in by the President.

The Speaker accused Governor Bose of turning the swearing in ceremony into an “ego battle.” Bose, speaking from New Delhi on Wednesday night, defended his stance, stating that the Constitution empowers him to decide who should administer the oaths.

“I had no objection to fixing the assembly as the venue, but because of an objectionable letter from the Speaker, undermining the dignity of the office of governor, that option was not found feasible,” he had said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said Governor Bose has no right to prevent the process, alleging that she has received complaints from women who felt unsafe going to Raj Bhavan after reports of certain activities there.

“Nearly a month has passed but my MLAs – Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Rayat Hossain Sarkar – are unable to take the oath. The Governor is obstructing them from doing so. It is the people who have elected them, not the Governor. He cannot deny them the right to take the oath,” she said at the state secretariat.

“Why must everyone go to Raj Bhavan? The Governor can authorise the Speaker or Deputy Speaker to attend the Assembly himself. Women have informed me they are afraid to visit Raj Bhavan due to recent incidents reported there,” she added.

The dharna by the legislators lasted from around 12:30 pm to 4 pm.

Bandyopadhyay indicated she would write to the governor again, insisting the ceremony be held in the assembly.

“We had waited till 4 pm on Wednesday for the governor to conduct the oath-taking ceremony, but he didn’t come. Today, we sat on dharna in front of the statue of Ambedkar with the demand that our constitutional right to work for the people be facilitated without any delay,” Bandyopadhyay told reporters.

Referring to allegations of molestation of a woman at Raj Bhawan in May, the actor-turned-politician said, “my family members won’t allow me to go to Raj Bhavan alone as they are also aware of the reports of a woman being molested there. Who will take the responsibility of my safety and security?”            

A political firestorm had erupted in May over a complaint by a Raj Bhavan woman employee who had accused the Governor of “molesting” her, even as the Governor had dubbed the allegations as “baseless and absurd drama”.

Sarkar expressed frustration over the delay, saying, “We are not being able to work and losing vital time. Why is the governor not coming here and conducting the ceremony?”          

The standoff continues, leaving the newly elected MLAs unable to commence their legislative duties. Both the MLAs will again protest at the same venue on Friday and will be joined by other TMC MLAs.

The face-off between Raj Bhavan and the state government also set off a political war of words in the state with Bengal BJP leadership firmly standing behind the Governor.

“The Governor is well within his rights to decide when, where, and who will administer the oath to the MLAs. The TMC is deliberately making it an issue,” BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul said.

The latest face-off between the Governor and the state’s ruling TMC was triggered by a Raj Bhavan communication a few days ago inviting two newly elected MLAs to be present at Raj Bhavan on June 26 for their swearing-in ceremony.

The act, the TMC alleged, was in defiance of the custom of the Governor assigning the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker of the House to do the needful in cases of bypoll winners.