Team News Riveting
Kolkata, February 11
Krishnagar North Legislator Mukul Roy has embraced Trinamool Congress (TMC), ironically, he will remain a BJP lawmaker.
West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Friday dismissed the petition filed by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari seeking Mukul Roy’s disqualification as an MLA under the anti-defection law for switching sides after elections. Roy, who had parted ways with Mamata in 2017, had returned to the ruling TMC in June last year soon after the state polls.
Having won on a BJP ticket in the 2021 Assembly polls and has since been seen at several TMC platforms, the former BJP national vice-president, survived the charge of defection as Speaker Biman Banerjee dismissed the petition filed by leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for inadequate evidence.
“The nature of evidence that was expected, the quality and weight of evidence the petitioner could not provide. In the facts and circumstances of the case and in law I find the petitioner has not been able to establish the contentions under paragraph 21A of the tenth schedule. I dismiss the petition,” said Banerjee at the state Assembly on Friday afternoon. “He is in the BJP and is a BJP MLA.”
On the initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Roy has been elected as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The post is normally allotted to the opposition member as per the parliamentary convention. Ambika Roy, another BJP MLA of West Bengal, had moved the Calcutta high court challenging the election.
Interestingly, TMC has all the reason to smile. Roy is officially in BJP and hence the ruling party has not breached the parliamentary decorum and has allotted the position to opposition member.
