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‘Constitutional impropriety’: West Bengal Governor after Trinamool MLAs administered oath by Speaker
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose had authorised the Deputy Speaker of the assembly to administer oath to the two newly-elected Trinamool legislators.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday accused assembly Speaker Biman Bose of ‘constitutional impropriety’ after the latter administered oath to two legislators of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) despite the Governor authorising the Deputy Speaker to officiate the ceremony.
“A report is being sent to the Hon'ble President about the Constitutional impropriety' of the Speaker in administering the oath or affirmation to the two newly elected MLAs,” the Raj Bhavan said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
“The Constitutional transgression has been done in spite of Hon'ble Governor appointing Deputy Speaker as the person before whom the two newly elected MLAs shall make and subscribe such an oath or affirmation,” the statement added.
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The development took place a day after Governor Bose assigned the task to Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee. On Friday, however, Banerjee declined, saying that doing so would be ‘inappropriate’ when the Speaker himself was present.
“It is against the norms for the Deputy Speaker to administer oath when the Speaker is present in the Chair,” Banerjee said during the special one-day session of the assembly, held for the swearing-in of the two legislators: Rayat Hossain Sarkar and Sayantika Bandopadhyay.
After Banerjee declined, Bose, the Speaker, administered oath, and the session was adjourned sine die amid joyous ‘Jai Bangla’ chants by the Trinamool members.
“The Governor does not have the authority to dismiss me. I have already informed the President about the situation and sought her intervention,” Bose asserted.
However, on the rule under which the Speaker, and not his deputy, administered oath, the Raj Bhavan noted that the ‘Constitution supersedes any assembly rule.’
The swearing-in, meanwhile, brought to end the month-long impasse between the Governor and the assembly over the venue of the ceremony and the administering authority.
(With PTI inputs)
