New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting him to not allow TMC MP Sisir Adhikari to delay the proceedings of his disqualification and to dispose the matter expeditiously.

Ahead of the monsoon session that began on July 18, the Lok Sabha Secretariat had issued separate letters to Sisir Adhikari and Sunil Kumar Mondal (Trinamool Congress) and K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju (YSR Congress), after their parties petitioned Birla, seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law.

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"It appears that Adhikari is deliberately resorting to delay and hoodwinking tactics so as to drag on the proceedings, make the prayers in my petition infructuous and mislead your good office. In this context, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that he has replied to your letter dated 15 July 2021 only on 29 November 2021 i.e. after four months. “Not only has he replied after such a delay, he has also raised blatantly false objections to the petition to buy some time and defeat the purpose of my petition. Such conduct is colourable, unlawful and derogatory to the high office of the Hon'ble Speaker," Sudip Bandyopadhyay, leader of the TMC in Lok Sabha, said in his letter dated August 8.

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The senior TMC leader has replied to Adhikari's claims point by point and said that the objections raised by him are "false, baseless and without any legal justification".

"They should be rejected in limine and strict action be taken against him," he said.

"The Speaker has rightfully concluded that the petition is maintainable as it complies with the conditions of Rule 6 of the Disqualification Rules and has thus forwarded the petition to Adhikari. In fact, it is utterly discourteous on the part of Adhikari to insinuate that the Speaker has failed in his duties to consider the compliance of Rule 6 of the Disqualification Rules.

"Lastly, I humbly request your good office to not allow Shri Adhikari to delay the proceedings, dispose the disqualification petition expeditiously and grant the prayers sought for in the petition," Bandyopadhyay said.

Bandyopadhyay had urged the LS speaker to take action on the petitions he had earlier filed seeking disqualification of the TMC leaders who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls.

TMC sources further say that out of its MLAs who switched parties between 2016 and 2020, 45 per cent joined the BJP. During the same period, in Rajya Sabha, 10 out of the 16 MPs who switched parties did the same.

The party also pointed out that the growth in average assets of re-contesting MPs and MLAs is 39 per cent.

"Why is the BJP running far away from bypolls in West Bengal? They will get hammered in the bypolls. That is why the disqualification is not being done," said Derek O' Brien, TMC leader in Rajya Sabha.

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