You cannot interfere in the work of the assembly: Bengal speaker to Governor

West Bengal speaker Biman Banerjee on Monday asked the state governor Jagdeep Dhankhar not to interfere in the internal matters of the Assembly. The Governor had earlier written to the Speaker to uphold the dignity of the parliamentary system. The letter was regarding the nomination of Mukul Roy as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Assembly.

"I have replied to the letter of the Governor in this regard. I told him that you cannot interfere in the work of the Assembly. The matter of the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is entirely within the purview of the Speaker. By interfering in this, he is ruining the dignity of the Assembly," Banerjee said.

"The language that the Governor is using doesn't justify his constitutional position. He should understand the dignity and importance of his position. Hopefully, he restrains himself and doesn't interfere in the internal affairs of the legislature," he added.

"I do not understand why the Governor is interfering in the affairs of the Assembly. I hope he will understand the seriousness of the issue and not try to interfere in the work of the Assembly," he said.

Banerjee had earlier nominated Mukul Roy for the post of the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. The post is usually offered to the opposition. Roy had switched camp and joined Trinamool after winning the elections on a BJP ticket. The BJP is now staking right to the post and claims someone from the BJP should have been offered the post. Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari and MLA Ambika Roy moved the court, challenging the decision. However, the Trinamool is of the opinion that it depends entirely on the Speaker.

This is not the first verbal dispute between Governor and the Speaker. Banerjee had earlier also complained to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla that the constitutional head of state has no right to interfere in the work of the Assembly.