- A press note issued on May 10 said Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay had been chosen as leader of the opposition (LoP)
- When Chattopadhyay reached the Vidhan Sabha on Monday, he saw that the room designated for the LoP was locked
- Principal Secretary Soumendra Das said that although a letter had been submitted, it lacked crucial details
The West Bengal Assembly witnessed a peculiar situation on Monday when a leader of the opposition picked by his party could not access the office designated for the post.
A press note issued from Trinamool Congress Chairperson and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee's residence on May 10 said MLA Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay had been chosen as the leader of the opposition (LoP) in the Vidhan Sabha with Ashima Patra and Nayna Bandopadhyay as his deputies, while Firhad Hakim was named the chief whip.
When Chattopadhyay reached the Vidhan Sabha on Monday, he saw that the room designated for the LoP was locked. He sat in the lobby of the Vidhan Sabha and eventually left after failing to get access.
The office of the Speaker has said the decision on the appointment of the Trinamool MLAs was sent on the letterhead of TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, which is not the norm for the intimation of key posts in the Legislative Assembly.
Principal Secretary Soumendra Das clarified on Wednesday that although a letter had been submitted by the opposition party, it lacked crucial details, and the matter now depends on the discretion of the Speaker of the House.
Das said Abhishek Banerjee had submitted a letter containing the names of the office-bearers of the parliamentary party. However, the letter did not mention when the parliamentary party meeting was held, who attended the meeting, or who gave their consent.
According to Assembly rules, he said, all this information must be clearly provided. He added that once the documents are submitted to the Speaker, the final decision will be taken by him.
Das said a letter was also sent to the TMC to provide the details of the resolution.
Chattopadhyay, meanwhile, has filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking information on how leaders of the opposition were selected in 2011, 2016 and 2021 and what procedures were followed at the time. This, political observers said, is aimed at questioning the current situation by bringing past precedents into focus.
