Raj Bhavan’s communique on oath ceremony of 2 Trinamool MLAs creates confusion

Kolkata, June 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Confusion has been created over the swearing-in ceremony of two newly elected Trinamool Congress MLAs in West Bengal following a communique from the office of Governor C.V. Ananda Bose.

In the communique sent by the Raj Bhavan to the two Trinamool MLAs, Reyat Houssen Sarkar and Sayantika Banerjee, June 26 has been mentioned as the date of the swearing-in ceremony, but there is no clear mention as to who will administer the oath.

West Bengal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay claimed the fresh communique breaches the tradition followed for the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected MLAs.

"The message just says that anyone nominated by the Raj Bhavan will administer the oath. This is not only insulting, but also against the protocol,” Chattopadhyay said.

He also questioned the process of forwarding the communique directly to the two MLAs instead of sending it to the Assembly Speaker.

“We will discuss the matter and take decisions as per the directive of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,” Chattopadhyay said.

Although 18 days have passed since Sarkar and Banerjee got elected in the bypolls, their oath ceremony is caught in the middle of a communication gap between the state secretariat and the Raj Bhavan.

Earlier, two communiques were sent from the state Assembly to the Governor's office for quick completion of the swearing-in process, but Raj Bhavan sources said there was a procedural error as such messages should come from the office of the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

Source: IANS