By Saibal Gupta

Kolkata, Jun 15 (IANS): On the one hand there is Mukul Roy, the Kanchrapara MLA from BJP who joined Trinamool Congress recently and on the other, there are Sisir Adhikari and Sunil Mondal, the TMC MPs from Kanthi and East Burdwan who had joined the BJP before the Lok Sabha polls. Both Trinamool Congress and the BJP are now desperate to take steps against their turncoat leaders.

When BJP Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari asked Roy to resign by Tuesday, else will inform the Speaker to take steps against him, Trinamool Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay called up Om Birla and urged him to initiate action against turncoat leaders Sunil Mondal and Sisir Adhikari.

Speaking to the media after meeting Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday evening, Adhikari said, "If Mukul Roy doesn't resign by Tuesday we will give a letter to the Speaker and if that also doesn't work then we will go to the court". Adhikari even held a meeting with 50 BJP MLAs in the assembly to decide the future course of action. However, 30 MLAs were absent in the meeting on Monday.

Slamming the Trinamool Congress for their 'todna-jodna politics', Adhikari asserted that action will be taken against the defectors this time. "Todna-Jodna is part of TMC's dirty politics. They have been doing this for the past 10 years & nobody opposed it. But it is being opposed now & action will be taken under anti-defection law. I had called all the MLAs. We have 30 more MLAs to come. A total of 50 MLAs joined us today to meet Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at Raj Bhawan," the BJP leader had said.

Interestingly, Dhankhar while speaking to media regarding the same, said that Bengal is not an exception to anti-defection law and that he being the Constitutional head of the state would ensure its implementation.

On the other hand, Sudip Bandopadhyay has already written to Speaker Om Birla to take steps against the MPs. "I have called up Om Birla, Lok Sabha MP and urged him to begin action against turncoat leaders Sunil Mondal and Sisir Adhikari," Bandopadhyay said.

TMC had earlier filed petitions, seeking the disqualification of the two leaders under anti-defection law for having joined the BJP and asked Om Birla to disqualify MPs Sisir Adhikari and Sunil Mondal under anti-defection law for having joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just ahead of the West Bengal Assembly Polls.

When asked about the details of the conversation, Bandopadhyay said, "The speaker told me that he will form a committee to review the petitions for disqualification and ask the two MPs to appear before it."