TMC's Mukul Roy steps down as PAC chairman in WB Assembly; submits resignation to Speaker

In a key development, Mukul Roy stepped down from the post of Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the West Bengal Assembly on Monday, June 27. Roy submitted his resignation to Speaker Biman Banerjee saying that his tenure was about to end.

The former Union Minister, who joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) after winning the Assembly elections on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket, was made the chairman of the PAC from among 20 members of the Committee by Speaker Banerjee on July 9, 2021.

Hue & cry over Mukul Roy's appointment as PAC chairman

Asserting that an opposition MLA is always appointed as the PAC chairman in accordance with the norm, the BJP at the time alleged that the TMC misused that rule. "We had proposed names of six MLAs. The BJP never recommended Mukul Roy. He publicly joined the TMC recently, but that clearly wasn't taken into account," the BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had said.

The BJP MLA from Nandigram, further said, "This corrupt TMC government finds ways to get their stooges elected to the top post. We have decided that we won't be heading any committee from now on." 

The BJP wanted eminent economist and MLA Ashok Lahiri to head the committee. However, when Roy was appointed, the saffron party led by Adhikari had staged a walkout, announcing that the party henceforth wouldn't be heading any committee in the House.