Kolkata: The ‘Jai Sri Ram’ chant has made its way to the West Bengal assembly a day after Parliament was witness to all kinds of chants — Jai Sri Ram, Jai Ma Kali, Allahu Akbar, Radhe Radhe — during oath-taking by newly-elected members of the 17th Lok Sabha.
On Wednesday, Joyel Murmu, the MLA from Malda’s Habibpur newly elected in an assembly bypoll, chanted ‘Jai Sri Ram’ at the end of his oath-taking, following in the footsteps of Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh who chanted the same in Parliament. Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee directed that the chant be removed from the record of assembly proceedings.
“The framers of the Constitution had given a thought to such a situation and prescribed a format of oath-taking which is part of the Constitution. No one should digress from the format,” Banerjee said. Article 188 of the Constitution provides that members should take oath before participating in the proceedings of a legislature. The format is laid down in the Third Schedule.
“The format asks members to take oath either in the name of God or solemnly affirm by the Constitution. A member can’t add or delete a word in the format. S/he must stick to the format,” Banerjee said.
The seven other new members — including BJP MLAs such as Neeraj Tamang Zimba from Darjeeling — stuck to the format. “I am appalled with the way members from BJP and Trinamool Congress flouted the Constitution with impunity in Parliament. The BJP member did a replay without even knowing that he was going against the Constitution,” said Abdul Mannan, leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly .
Eight members were elected in the assembly bypolls held along with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Bhatpara, Darjeeling, Habibpur, Islampur, Kandi, Krishnaganj, Nowda, and Uluberia Purba. Bypolls were announced following the demise of the Krishnaganj MLA and the vacancy of the other seven seats after their MLAs contested Lok Sabha polls.
Going by the trend, chief minister Mamata Banerjee may have to hear more such chants when the assembly holds its monsoon session. Learning the hard way from the Bhatpara incident when she had stopped her car and berated those chanting ‘Jai Sri Ram’, Banerjee is no longer reacting to it. (TOI)
On Wednesday, Joyel Murmu, the MLA from Malda’s Habibpur newly elected in an assembly bypoll, chanted ‘Jai Sri Ram’ at the end of his oath-taking, following in the footsteps of Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh who chanted the same in Parliament. Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee directed that the chant be removed from the record of assembly proceedings.
“The framers of the Constitution had given a thought to such a situation and prescribed a format of oath-taking which is part of the Constitution. No one should digress from the format,” Banerjee said. Article 188 of the Constitution provides that members should take oath before participating in the proceedings of a legislature. The format is laid down in the Third Schedule.
“The format asks members to take oath either in the name of God or solemnly affirm by the Constitution. A member can’t add or delete a word in the format. S/he must stick to the format,” Banerjee said.
The seven other new members — including BJP MLAs such as Neeraj Tamang Zimba from Darjeeling — stuck to the format. “I am appalled with the way members from BJP and Trinamool Congress flouted the Constitution with impunity in Parliament. The BJP member did a replay without even knowing that he was going against the Constitution,” said Abdul Mannan, leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly .
Eight members were elected in the assembly bypolls held along with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Bhatpara, Darjeeling, Habibpur, Islampur, Kandi, Krishnaganj, Nowda, and Uluberia Purba. Bypolls were announced following the demise of the Krishnaganj MLA and the vacancy of the other seven seats after their MLAs contested Lok Sabha polls.
Going by the trend, chief minister Mamata Banerjee may have to hear more such chants when the assembly holds its monsoon session. Learning the hard way from the Bhatpara incident when she had stopped her car and berated those chanting ‘Jai Sri Ram’, Banerjee is no longer reacting to it. (TOI)
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