Will approach President if Bengal Governor doesn't administer oath to new MLAs, says TMC

New Delhi: The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal slammed Governor C V Ananda Bose on Thursday for the impasse over administering oath to two newly elected party MLAs and said they would approach President Droupadi Murmu over the matter if required.

The governor had invited the two MLAs, who won the recent bypolls, to take oath at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday. However, they declined the invitation, claiming convention dictates that in the case of bypoll winners, the governor assigns the speaker or the deputy speaker to administer the oath.

Talking to reporters here, TMC parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay termed the governor's move an "unconstitutional step".

"Two of our MLAs were elected in the bypolls. But the governor is not coming to the assembly to administer the oath. The Speaker of the West Bengal assembly has repeatedly requested the governor to follow the rules and ensure that two MLAs can take oath immediately. But he is asserting that they come to the Governor House," he said.

"Our legislators, especially the women MLAs do not want to go to the governor's house for reasons I don't want to explain now... It appears the governor came to Delhi yesterday. Our speaker is in the mood to come to Delhi and meet the President. If necessary, the MPs will also meet the President," he said.  Governor Bose should be directed to go back to West Bengal to consult the Speaker and see to it that both the newly elected MLAs are administered the oath, Bandyopadhyay said.  Baranagar MLA Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Bhagabangola MLA Rayat Hossain Sarkar sat on the dharna in front of the BR Ambedkar statue in the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha complex. They demanded that Bose enable them to perform their duties as legislators by facilitating the oath-taking ceremony in the assembly.

Baranagar MLA Sayantika Bandyopadhyay and Bhagabangola MLA Rayat Hossain Sarkar sat on a dharna in front of the B R Ambedkar statue in the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha complex and demanded the governor enable them to perform their duties as legislators by facilitating the oath-taking ceremony in the assembly.

Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Thursday wrote to President Murmu, seeking her intervention in resolving the impasse.