West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Monday appointed Raiganj MLA Krishna Kalyani as the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
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A notification was issued by the West Bengal Assembly appointing the 43-year-old MLA as the chairperson of PAC.
Interestingly, Mr. Kalyani had contested the 2021 Assembly polls in the State on a ticket of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and in October 2021, defected from the BJP and joined the Trinamool Congress.
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The development comes a week after Mukul Roy resigned as the chairperson of the PAC. The veteran politician has cited his failing health as a reason for his resignation.
Mr. Roy, an MLA from Krishnanagar Uttar, had also contested and won on a BJP ticket and shifted allegiance to the Trinamool Congress within a month of Assembly polls. Mr. Roy’s elevation to PAC chairperson was embroiled in controversy with the BJP leadership challenging his appointment on grounds that he is a TMC MLA.
On two occasions, Speaker Biman Banerjee rejected a plea by the BJP legislators to disqualify Mr. Roy.
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BJP MLA and party’s Chief in the State Assembly Manoj Tigga said that the post of PAC chairperson is reserved for members of Opposition benches. “We had earlier said that BJP MLA and economist Ashok Lahiri is our candidate for the post of PAC,” Mr. Tigga said.
The BJP leadership is yet to decide whether they will challenge the appointment of Mr. Kalyani or not. The post of PAC chairperson is usually reserved for a member of Opposition benches and PAC chairperson has a status of a Cabinet Minister.
“It is a huge responsibility. It does not matter to me who is opposing it. The appointment of PAC chairperson is the prerogative of the Speaker and I seek cooperation from everybody,” Mr. Kalyani said.