Babul Supriyo's oath: Political debates continue even after event

Kolkata, May 11 (IANS) Finally, on Wednesday singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo took oath as the newly elected MLA from Ballygunge Assembly constituency almost a month after he was declared winner in the bypolls.

However, debates and controversies that had been taking place since the last one month have continued even after his oath-taking. The oath was administered by the deputy Speaker of the state Assembly, Asish Banerrjee, as mandated by Governor Jagdeep Dhankar.

After administering the oath, the deputy Speaker, while speaking to the mediapersons, expressed displeasure over his administering the oath instead of Speaker Biman Banerjee.

"I did not want to administer the oath in place of the Speaker. But ultimately it was getting very late. The Governor tried to create a divide between me and the Speaker. But we are together," Asish Banerjee.

The Speaker, during the swearing-in ceremony, despite being in the Assembly premises, did not come to the spot.

After swearing-in as an MLA, Babul Supriyo said that a new chapter has begun in his political life from Wednesday. "I thank Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for providing me with this opportunity and from now onwards I will work according to her instructions," he said.

Meanwhile, BJP's spokesman Shamik Bhattacharya said that unnecessary stubbornness expressed by the state government on this issue led to the delay in the Supriyo's oath-taking. "The Governor had the prerogative of either administering the oath himself or mandating anyone else in doing so. The West Bengal Governor mandated the deputy speaker. But it is the state's ruling party who made an issue out of it and delayed the process," he said.

The Congress and CPI-M have blamed both the Governor and the state government for the delay.

"The entire sequence of events proves that in West Bengal fruitless exercises go on instead of constructive work," said senior Congress MP and state Congress president in West Bengal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. CPI-M central committee member Dr Sujan Chakraborty said that unnecessary stubbornness from both ends led to such developments.

The by-election to the Ballygunge Assembly seat was held on April 12, and the result was declared on April 16.