TMC MLAs Reyat Hossain Sarkar and Sayantika Banerjee Protest Over Oath-Taking Dispute

Newly elected Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs, Reyat Hossain Sarkar and Sayantika Banerjee, launched a sit-in protest in front of the BR Ambedkar statue at the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. This protest occurred after Governor CV Anand Bose declined to administer their oaths or delegate the responsibility to the Speaker.

Election Results

Sayantika Banerjee won the assembly bye-election from the Baranagar constituency with 69,251 votes, while Reyat Hossain Sarkar won from the Bhagwangola constituency with 107,096 votes. The results were declared on June 5.

Dispute Over Oath-Taking Venue

The conflict began when the Governor invited the newly elected MLAs to take their oaths at Raj Bhavan. The Speaker argued that the Governor should come to the state assembly, as the MLAs are becoming members of the State Assembly, not Raj Bhavan.

Statements from the MLAs

TMC MLA Sayantika Banerjee stated, “We respect him (the Governor), his chair, and the Constitution, but he is not giving us respect or customising the Constitution. He should come to the Assembly and conduct our oath-taking ceremony or give this authority to the speaker.”

TMC MLA Reyat Hossain Sarkar added, “The Governor is in his ego; we don’t have any issue with that. We are newly elected MLAs; people have elected us, and we are not selected. We appeal to the entire nation that whatever tradition is there in other states, the speaker, deputy speaker, or governor conducts the oath of MLAs in the Assembly… I don’t know why the Governor is in ego and doing injustice to West Bengal; our demand is that our oath be conducted in the Assembly.”