The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday wrote a fresh letter to West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathendra Bose, clarifying that the party has appointed senior MLA Subhandeep Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly, among other appointments. The move comes amid a dispute over allegations that the signatures of several party lawmakers were forged on official documents.
The controversy erupted after TMC MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha raised concerns over signatures on an earlier letter to the Speaker, supporting Chattopadhyay as LoP. Following their complaints, the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) initiated an investigation.
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What does the message say?
The party said in the letter that it has appointed Subhandeep Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition, Ashima Patra and Nayana Bandopadhyay as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim as Speaker of the West Bengal Lok Sabha.
“You are hereby requested to recognize the said persons as Leader of the Opposition and others on the basis of precedent or practice of the Legislative Assembly, which has been in vogue for decades,” the letter said.
The party said the Speaker had already “recognised” Chattopadhyay as the MP when he was invited to address the House during the welcome proceedings.
“After the election of the Hon’ble Speaker of Parliament, the Hon’ble Prime Minister and Sri Subhandeep Chattopadhyay, as Leader of the Opposition, following the practice, procedure and respect due to the Hon’ble Speaker of Parliament, led you to your chair by holding your hands,” the letter said.
“I have already recognized Sri Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition on the floor of the House,” said the letter signed by TMC National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee.
What is controversy?
The investigation began after TMC legislators Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandiban Saha filed a complaint alleging that some signatures on the May 19 resolution supporting Subhandeep Chattopadhyay’s appointment as leader of the opposition had been forged. This also led to the opposition Transitional Military Council expelling the two MPs.
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari said that during the CID investigation, three of the 13 TMC MLAs who were questioned claimed that they had not signed the resolution.
As part of the investigation, the CID has also summoned senior party leader Abhishek Banerjee. He requested a 15-day deadline before appearing for interrogation, citing ill health. On Saturday, he was harassed and manhandled in Sonarpur district of South 24 Parganas district.
TMC state general secretary and MLA Kunal Ghosh described Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha as traitors.
Meanwhile, Ritabrata Banerjee said he has no regrets. “Someone has to be the whistleblower. No resolution was adopted on May 6. The meeting was called only to give Abhishek Banerjee a standing ovation. Those who did not stand up were reprimanded,” he said after his expulsion.
The CID officially took over the case on May 28 from Kolkata Police. The transfer came a day after the Hare Street police station registered a case based on a complaint filed by the principal secretary of the state assembly, citing sections relating to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
With inputs from Tanmay Chatterjee
