Swapan Dasgupta quits Rajya Sabha after TMC sought his disqualification
Veteran journalist and nominated Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta on Tuesday resigned from the Upper House of Parliament.
Dasgupta's resignation came after the Trinamool Congress demanded action against him since the BJP selected him to contest from the Tarakeshwar seat in the coming West Bengal polls.
The Trinamool Congress had cited rules that bar a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from joining a political party. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra had said on Monday that Dasgupta should be disqualified from the Rajya Sabha under provisions of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
Moitra tweeted on Monday, "Swapan Dasgupta is BJP candidate for WB polls. 10th Schedule of Constitution says nominated RS member to be disqualified if he joins any political party AFTER expiry of 6 months from oath. He was sworn in April 2016, remains unallied. Must be disqualified NOW for joining BJP."
Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh also questioned Dasgupta contesting the polls. In a letter to the Rajya Sabha chairman, M. Venkaiah Naidu, Ramesh asked, "Can a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha who has not formally joined a political party within six months of nomination and continues as a non-party, nominated member contest elections to Parliament or the Assembly without first resigning as a nominated member? You did not announce any such resignation in these past few days..."
Dasgupta, considered a sympathiser of the BJP for years, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2016 and his term was to end in April 2022. On Sunday, the BJP announced Dasgupta as its candidate for Tarakeshwar.
"I have a particular status in the Rajya Sabha as a presidential nominee. I am contesting this election as a BJP candidate from Tarakeshwar. Naturally, between two things, there are a lot of outstanding issues. The nomination process involves resolving all these. And all these issues will be resolved by the time I file my nomination. I haven't yet filed my nomination. I hope to do so either on Thursday or on Friday," Dasgupta told NDTV.
After news of Dasgupta's resignation emerged, Moitra tweeted her wishes to him for the upcoming Assembly polls.
