Defeated BJP nominee renominated to RS, but no action against turncoat LS MPs: TMC

Kolkata, Jun 2 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday expressed displeasure at the BJP-led central government for "hurriedly" renominating former journalist Swapan Dasgupta, who had resigned from Rajya Sabha and unsuccessfully contested the recent West Bengal assembly elections on a BJP ticket, to the Upper House of Parliament.

President Ram Nath Kovind renominated Dasgupta to the Rajya Sabha to fill the seat which has fallen vacant due to his resignation for his reminder term till April 24 next year, according to a Home Ministry notification on Tuesday.

While Dasgupta got renominated to the Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla did not respond to the pleas of the Trinamool Congress to disqualify membership of party MPs Sunil Mondal and Sisir Adhikari who have switched over to the BJP but did not step down, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

The President nominates renowned personalities to the Upper House on the advice of the government. The nominated members are drawn from fields such as literature, science, sports, art and social service.

"Swapan Dasgupta has been nominated as a Rajya Sabha MP. He resigned after being fielded as the BJP candidate from Tarakeshwar assembly seat when our Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra flagged the issue in a tweet.

"Now, after he was defeated in the assembly polls, he is again nominated to the Upper House of Parliament in a tearing hurry even during the Covid time. We resent this," Ghosh said.

However, Mondal and Adhikari are not being disqualified as members of the Lok Sabha, he said.

The two TMC MPs joined the BJP at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rallies in different times ahead of the assembly election.

TMC leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhyay has written to the Speaker twice, in January and May, seeking their disqualification but got no response, Ghosh claimed.

"If the delay in the response could be attributed to Covid-19 situation in the country, we wonder how Dasgupta's renomination after defeat in polls can be fast-tracked," he said.

The BJP-led government is using all offices to further its "narrow partisan" goals while turning a deaf ear to the voice of the opposition, the TMC leader claimed. PTI SUS NN NN