Amid uncertainties over Babul Supriyo's swearing-in, now CBI books his ex-staffer in corruption case
KOLKATA: West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee Monday said it was for Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to decide on the date for the swearing-in of TMC MLA Babul Supriyo and the inordinate delay in it will cause suffering of the electorate of Ballygunge constituency from where he was elected.
Dhankhar had said that his constitutional job concerning Babul Supriyo's swearing-in was over as he had nominated deputy speaker Asish Banerjee to do his part.
The deputy speaker, however, said that the responsibility should be given to Speaker Biman Banerjee.
"It is for the governor and the state parliamentary affairs minister to decide when the oath-taking ceremony will take place. There is no place for controversy in it as the governor himself can administer the oath. Personal likes and dislikes should not be a hindrance while performing constitutional duties," the speaker told reporters.
The by-election was held on April 12 and the result was declared on April 16.
Supriyo, a former minister of state in the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, had quit BJP in a huff after being dropped from the post and joined TMC.
After giving up his Lok Sabha membership, which he had bagged on a BJP ticket, the playback singer-turned politician was nominated by the ruling TMC for the Ballygunge assembly seat by-election and won the seat.
The by-election was held on April 12 and the result was declared on April 16.
Dhankhar and Supriyo had engaged in a Twitter feud over oath administration a few days ago.
Meanwhile, the CBI has registered a case of corruption against a former staffer of Supriyo.
The CBI has named Sushanta Mallick, Supriyo's former staff member, in the FIR for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from businessman Ashutosh Bandopadhyay in 2016 when Supriyo was the Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in the BJP government at the Centre, officials said on Monday.
According to the FIR, along with Mallick, some former executives of Engineering Projects India Limited (EPIL), which comes under the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, were indulged in the corruption.
The CBI has also named SPS Bakshi, the then CMD of EPIL, Harcharan Pal, former EPIL executive director, Paritosh Kumar Praveen, the then manager of EPIL, RS Tyagi, the then DGM, and Ashutosh Bandopadhyay, among others, the officials said.
The CBI had received a complaint on March 12, 2021, regarding the alleged corruption which was "verified" by the agency.
The verification revealed that Bakshi, Pal, Praveen and Tyagi allegedly conspired and demanded Rs 50 lakh from Bandopadhyay for favouring in tenders awarded by EPIL during 2016-17, they said.
The CBI has alleged that Bakshi received Rs 40 lakh and Rs 10 lakh was given to Pal and Praveen, they said.
Bakshi conveyed through Tyagi that out of Rs 40 lakh meant for him, Rs 5 lakh be transferred into the bank account of Mallick which were transferred in 2016 by Bandopadhyay, the CBI has alleged in the FIR.
Supriyo, who was the Union minister from 2016 to 2019, had joined TMC in September last year and later won the assembly by-election from Ballygunge in West Bengal.