The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police interrogated senior Trinamool Congress legislator Sovandeb Chattopadhyay for almost an hour regarding alleged signature inconsistencies on a crucial resolution for key positions in the West Bengal Assembly. CID officials visited Chattopadhyay’s residence as part of the ongoing investigation into claims that some Trinamool Congress legislators’ signatures on the resolution did not match their original ones. The resolution pertained to appointments to significant Assembly roles designated for the Opposition bench.
Chattopadhyay, speaking to the media post-questioning, assured full cooperation with the CID, emphasizing his readiness to assist in the investigation as a responsible member of the West Bengal Assembly. He also urged investigators to look into those who raised the allegations that prompted the probe, highlighting that these individuals were present during the signing of the resolution. The CID launched the inquiry last month following complaints about alleged signature disparities among certain Trinamool Congress MLAs on a document submitted to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose.
The document proposed the appointment of Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition, Asima Patra and Nayna Bandopadhyay as Deputy Leaders of the Opposition, and Firhad Hakim as the Chief Whip of the Trinamool Legislature Party in the Assembly. The discrepancies were initially brought to light by legislators Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, leading to the CID’s formal investigation. Subsequently, the Trinamool Congress suspended Banerjee and Saha, prompting a rebellion by 60 legislators under the officially recognized Leader of the Opposition, who submitted a new resolution asserting majority support within the Trinamool Legislative Party.
Following the emergence of the allegations, the Speaker accepted the new resolution, resulting in Ritabrata Banerjee being officially acknowledged as the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.
