Kolkata: West Bengal unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to approach the court demanding Mukul Roy’s disqualification as a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. The state saffron unit has taken a decision after a crucial hearing on this matter was over within three minutes at the chamber of Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay on Friday.
The speaker after a brief interaction with the leader of the opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, fixed July 30 as the next date of hearing. He also asked the leader of the opposition to submit some additional documents about their demand for Roy’s disqualification.
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BJP has decided to move the court since they feel that the speaker’s decision on Friday is equivalent to a verdict without any hearing, Adhikari told reporters on Friday. BJP sources said that they will approach the court before July 30. They will submit to the court a 64-page petition in support of their demand on Roy’s disqualification. It is the same petition that BJP has already submitted to the Speaker’s office.
“For the last ten years, there had been at least 50 cases of MLAs shifting to the rival political camp. But anti-defection law was never applied. There was cross-voting in public during the Rajya Sabha polls. Still, no action was taken,” Adhikari said.
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So, he added, BJP has decided to take legal route. “We will approach the Calcutta High Court. There we will submit all the documents including videos circulated on social media about Mukul Roy’s joining Trinamool Congress even after he was elected as BJP legislator. We will approach the court at the right time simultaneously with our appeal to the speaker of the house,” Adhikari said.
He also said that earlier a similar petition was filed at the office of the Speaker about the MLA from Gajol assembly constituency, Dipali Biswas. “But no hearing till date. The anti-defection law should be applied within a specific time frame” Adhikari said.
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Mukul Roy got elected as a BJP candidate from Krishnagar (North) Assembly constituency. But soon after that, he joined Trinamool Congress. So the BJP demands that he should be disqualified as an MLA under the anti-defection law. Accordingly, Trinamool Congress leaders too have approached the office of the Speaker. Now the question arises that by going to court while the hearing with the Speaker still pending, shows lack of confidence in the Speaker.
On this issue, Adhikari said that he will surely come to the Speaker’s chamber on the next hearing date. “But at the same time we do not want to waste any time in this matter,” he said.