Trinamool Congress (TMC) nominated former CEO of Prasar Bharati Jawhar Sircar as its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election in West Bengal, on July 24.
“We are delighted to nominate Mr. @jawharsircar in the Upper House of the Parliament. Mr. Sircar spent nearly 42 years in public service & was also the former CEO of Prasar Bharati. His invaluable contribution to public service shall help us serve our country even better!(sic),” the ruling party in the state tweeted.
The Election Commission had on July 16 said that bypoll to the Rajya Sabha seat from West Bengal vacated by Dinesh Trivedi earlier this year will be held on August 9.
Reacting to his nomination, Sircar said, "I was a bureaucrat. I am not a political person but I would work for development of the people and raise the issues concerning the masses in parliament."
The bypoll to the Rajya Sabha seat from the state will be held if the opposition BJP fields its candidate for the same, otherwise, the TMC candidate will be declared elected unopposed.
The nomination came a day after the suspension of the party's Rajya Sabha member Santanu Sen. Sen was suspended from the Rajya Sabha on July 23 for the remaining period of the monsoon session for snatching and tearing the statement of IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on the Pegasus row, as Upper House Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu dubbed Sen's action as an "assault on the country's parliamentary democracy".
Mamata Banerjee’s party has condemned the suspension of Sen, alleging that the order was "malicious and arbitrary".
"We consider Sen's suspension as malicious and arbitrary. We condemn it. The order was without any justification and has no provision in law," TMC RS member and party's chief whip Sukhendu Shekhar Ray said in a press conference.
Referring to the recent ruckus in Parliament, the TMC leader alleged that some BJP leaders belong to the same group that was responsible for "killings in Gujarat".
"Why was a BJP leader denied entry into the US? In West Bengal too, they brought anti-social elements. A party which indulges in violence from day one and has a history of butchering people with an attitude of might should not lecture others," he said. The TMC MP, however, did not name anyone.
"They will suspend us and the people will suspend them," Ray said.
He further alleged that Union minister Hardeep Puri was abusive towards Sen, a charge denied by the minister.
Derek O'Brien said his party will soon provide evidence that the minister heckled Sen. "After the cameras went off yesterday, certain incidents took place inside the Rajya Sabha. If Sukhendu Shekhar Ray or any TMC MP tells you what happened, you might think they are biased.
(With inputs from PTI)
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