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News Desk: BJP’s Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari on Monday filed a plea before the Calcutta High Court seeking disqualification of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mukul Roy as MLA.
Mukul Roy had switched from TMC to BJP in 2019 before the Lok Sabha elections and switched back to TMC after winning on a BJP ticket from the Krishnanagar North constituency in 2021 assembly elections. Mukul Roy is also the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, which the BJP has protested against as the post is predominantly held by an MLA in the opposition
“We have waited for four months and participated in four hearings. We have come to ask for Mukul Roy’s membership to be cancelled. We cited a Supreme Court judgement. He has to inform the speaker within three months,” Suvendu Adhikari said.
The BJP is still waiting for a decision by the West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee.
“We told the court that under Schedule 10, the honourable high court should reflect on our appeal and use the law. Other states abide by the law, the law in this state is haywire. The rest we will depend on the high court. The court is a big pillar of democracy,” the BJP leader added.
Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the anti-defection law was not used in West Bengal while it is being used in other states.
“The anti-defection law has not been used in Bengal under the TMC rule. More than 50 MLAs have deflected [its is] more than required,” Suvendu Adhikari said.
In July, the Nandigram MLA had submitted a 64-page document to Speaker Biman Banerjee, demanding disqualification of Mukul Roy, and had attended the hearing on his petition at the Speaker’s chamber.
After attending the first hearing on the petition, Suvendu Adhikari had said that a decision should be taken on the matter at the earliest and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will move the court, if necessary.
Suvendu Adhikari, who defected to the BJP from the Trinamool Congress in December last year, had said that the saffron party has reasons to be sceptical as anti-defection law has never been enforced in the Assembly in the past.
