Bengal MLAs’ oath: Speaker dials Guv Bose’s predecessor VP Dhankhar for solution

Kolkata, June 28 (IANS) The Speaker of West Bengal Assembly, Biman Bandopadhyay, on Friday spoke over phone to Vice President and former state Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over the issue surrounding the swearing-in of two new MLAs and sought his intervention in breaking the impasse.

Confirming the telephonic discussion, the Speaker said the Vice President assured him that he would look into the matter.

Even as the Speaker tried to find a solution, the newly-elected Trinamool Congress MLAs Sayantika Banerjee and Reyat Sarkar continued their dharna for the third-consecutive day on the Assembly premises.

They are insisting that the Governor administer them the oath in the Assembly as it is their ‘karma bhumi.’

Although the Speaker did not divulge further details of the conversation with the Vice President, sources close to him said that Bandopadhyay requested Dhankhar to persuade Governor CV Ananda Bose to either administer the oath himself at the Assembly or nominate someone to do it.

On Thursday, the Speaker had written to President Droupadi Murmu seeking the latter’s intervention in resolving the matter.

On Thursday, he had also sent a letter to the office of the Governor requesting him to resolve the matter.

The Speaker had called up the Vice President on Thursday as well, but the latter could not attend the call.

Governor Bose is currently out of West Bengal and all eyes are now on the developments that will take place after he returns to Kolkata.

–IANS

src/rad