BJP to boycott as Mukul Roy seeks to chair PAC meeting

Public Accounts Committee chairman Mukul Roy is likely to chair the PAC meet on November 23, despite leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari moving the Calcutta High Court citing the anti-defection law and another BJP MLA seeking the cancellation of Roy’s election as an MLA.Mukul Roy, after his prolonged ailment, visited assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Wednesday, and reportedly told him that he will chair the PAC meeting on November 23, sources said.Suvendu Adhikari has made it clear that the BJP will not participate in the PAC meetings. “Unless we get the PAC chairman’s post, we will not participate in any PAC meetings,” BJP chief whip Manoj Tigga told ET. He said BJP has not participated in any PAC meetings till date.

Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari had moved court over the implementation of anti-defection law in connection with Mukul Roy’s defection to the Trinamool Congress. BJP MLA Ambika Roy had moved HC seeking the cancellation of Mukul Roy’s MLA post.Rao had joined the Trinamool Congress in the presence of party chief Mamata Banerjee after the Trinamool Congress won with a huge majority in the assembly polls.The PAC chairman’s post is generally held by the Opposition. But, the opposition BJP in West Bengal assembly is disgruntled over not getting PAC chairmanship.A bench, comprising acting chief justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj, had on September 28 directed the Speaker to take a decision on Mukul Roy’s PAC chairmanship by October 7. After that, Speaker Biman Banerjee moved the Supreme Court.Mukul Roy had won on a BJP ticket from Krishnanagar (North) assembly constituency seat and was nominated for the PAC chairmanship by the Speaker.