Kolkata: With rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee recognised as LoP in the Bengal assembly, the post of chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is now set to be allotted to a member of the dissident camp.
The frontrunners for the post of one of the assembly’s most influential oversight panels are Ratua MLA Samar Mukhopadhyay and Kolkata Port MLA and ex-mayor Firhad Hakim.
Legislators of the Ritabrata camp who made it to the PAC on Thursday are Biplab Mitra, Hakim, Golam Rabbani, Kanaiyalal Agarwal and Mukhopadhyay. Compared to five, one Mamata Banerjee loyalist, Asoke Deb, made it to the committee.
Under assembly practice, the 20-member PAC comprises 14 members from the ruling side and six from the opposition. Traditionally, its chairperson is chosen from among opposition members. Speaker Rathindra Bose is expected to announce the name on Saturday, also the final day of the monsoon session.
PAC plays a critical role in examining govt expenditure and scrutinising reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General, making the selection of its chairperson significant from both political and administrative perspectives.
The committee’s chairmanship has been the subject of controversy in the past. Following the 2021 assembly elections, Mukul Roy was appointed PAC chairman despite having been elected on a BJP ticket before returning to TMC. BJP had proposed Ashok Lahiri’s name for the post.
However, on Thursday, the battle between the two TMC camps was not just limited to PAC selections.
MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, a Mamata loyalist, tried to raise a point of order on why MLA Kunal Ghosh was physically removed by marshals on Wednesday. Speaker Bose denied the plea, referring to it as a “tainted episode”.
Ghosh approached Bose and said, “I respect the speaker. I was bodily lifted out. I merely asked why my name was deleted from the list of speakers. They will not let the genuine opposition speak out of fear,” he said.
Ghosh again asked rebel camp chief whip Akruzzaman why his name was deleted from the list of speakers. “Akruzzaman said he has nothing against me personally and claimed he was working under instructions. I will come prepared to speak on Friday,” he added.