Mamata attacks Governor as swearing-in impasse of 2 TMC leader’s enters day 2
On Wednesday, after Bose neither arrived at the state legislative assembly to administer the oath nor delegated the power to the Speaker or the deputy speaker, the two legislators waited for the Governor from 12 to 4pm while sitting on the stairs of the legislative assembly
Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday attacked Governor CV Ananda Bose amidst the ongoing impasse over the swearing-in of two newly elected Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators, saying that even almost a month after winning the election, two of her legislators could not take the oath because of the Governor.
“They have been elected by the people. What right has he got not to allow them to take the oath?” Banerjee said while addressing an administrative meeting at the state secretariat on Thursday.
Two TMC legislators – Sayantika Banerjee and Rayat Hossain Sarkar – have started a sit-in demonstration in the state legislative assembly amid the delay in the oath-taking.
While Sayantika won from Baranagar, Sarkar won the Bhagwangola assembly seats in the by-election held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections.
On Wednesday, after Bose neither arrived at the state legislative assembly to administer the oath nor delegated the power to the Speaker or the deputy speaker, the two legislators waited for the Governor from 12 to 4pm while sitting on the stairs of the legislative assembly holding placards which read “Waiting for the arrival of Hon. Governor for oath.”
They staged a sit-in demonstration again on Thursday inside the legislative assembly premises.
“He (Bose) may authorise the legislative assembly speaker or the deputy speaker. He may himself go to the assembly. Why should everyone go to the Raj Bhavan?” the chief minister said.
While Bose was in Delhi, the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata was yet to issue any statement on imbroglio on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Raj Bhavan cited Article 188 of the Constitution of India, which states that every legislator shall take an oath before the Governor or some other persons appointed by him.
The Raj Bhavan also highlighted occasions in the recent past in which the Governor had administered the swearing-in of the chief minister and some other MLAs.
“In the past, there have been conventions of the newly elected members viz Mamata Banerjee, Jakir Hossain and Amirul Islam making and subscribing oath or affirmation before the then Governor in 2021,” the Raj Bhavan’s post on X stated.
“There was no communication between the Raj Bhavan and the legislative assembly. The two legislators informed me that they requested the Governor to come to the legislative assembly and administer their swearing-in. The assembly secretariat was asked to keep everything ready so that the swearing-in could be held if the Governor arrives. It seems that the Governor is throwing a challenge. It would have been right had the swearing-in be held at the assembly,” Biman Bandopadhyay, speaker of the West Bengal legislative assembly, told reporters on Wednesday.
“One can’t help if the TMC wants to do politics even over the swearing-in of two MLAs. If they (the two MLAs) don’t attend the swearing-in and stage a demonstration, it is up to them,” said Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rahul Sinha.
