Kolkata: The West Bengal assembly on Wednesday witnessed noisy scenes as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was repeatedly interrupted by BJP lawmakers shouting "Modi Modi" while she was replying to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar's address to the House. The chief minister retorted with the slogan "Jai Bangla" and advised the BJP members to chant "Jai Sia Ram" instead of "Jai Sree Ram". The stage for the commotion was set by the suspension of the two BJP MLAs - Sudip Mukhopadhyay and Mihir Goswami - for the entire budget session earlier in the day for creating disturbances in the House during Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar's inaugural speech on Monday.
Moving a motion to suspend the two MLAs, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said that Goswami who represents Natabari and Mukhopadhyay, the Purulia MLA, had indulged in shouting slogans, waving placards and creating disturbance during the governor's address on March 7. The motion was passed by voice vote. High drama was witnessed on the first day of the West Bengal assembly's budget session on Monday as Dhankhar was forced to cut short his inaugural speech and table the address as BJP MLAs staged a noisy protest in the House over alleged violence in recently concluded civic elections in the state and TMC lady MLAs pleaded with him to deliver his speech.
Infuriated over the suspension of its MLAs, the BJP legislative party members shouted slogans as Banerjee began her reply on the Governor's address. They continued with the sloganeering during the entire 40 minutes of the Trinamool Congress supremo's address. An irritated Banerjee claimed that the saffron party was keen on disrupting peace in the state while the TMC fought for peace.
Referring to the unrest created at the Assembly by the BJP legislators on Monday, she said, "The BJP members tried to disrupt the proceedings, but their plot did not succeed, thanks to the governor." Banerjee said, "They (BJP MLAs) are resorting to hooliganism in the Assembly even after losing the elections (Assembly and recently held municipal polls). They are shameless."
Also read: Ruckus in West Bengal assembly over governor's speech
Apparently referring to the suspension of two BJP MLA, she said, "they suspended our MPs from the Rajya Sabha. Even a single vote matters there.... Why will there be a difference in Bengal (Assembly)?" "To save the country, the BJP must leave," she added. The ruling party legislators hit back at opposition counterparts with slogans of "Jai Bangla" once Banerjee ended her speech. Later while talking to reporters, Leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari slammed the TMC for the "undemocratic process" through which two BJP MLAs were suspended.
"This is one of the most undemocratic governments we have ever seen. The process through which two BJP MLAs were suspended is immoral and against the norms of parliamentary democracy. On that day (Monday), TMC MLAs gheraoed and heckled the governor, but no action was taken against them," he said. Meanwhile, Dhankhar on Wednesday took a dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying she had applauded disorder in the House on the inaugural day of the budget session of the House when he had to cut short his inaugural speech and table it.
Dhankhar said he was virtually subjected to "gherao" by the ministers and the ruling TMC MLAs in the Assembly during the incident on Monday. "There can be no justification to sanctify, much less applaud, 'gherao/blockade' of Guv in the hallowed precincts of august WBLA. Reflect !! Where are we heading ! and Why! Hon'ble CM applauding What! "Disorder" in House! We all need to work to blossom democracy," the governor said, attaching a video of the chief minister's speech.
His comment followed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee coming out to praise her women MLAs on Tuesday for requesting the governor to read his inaugural speech in the House amid vociferous protests by BJP lawmakers. Reacting to his tweets, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "The governor had faced unruly behaviour from BJP MLAs on the first day of Assembly, but he chooses to overlook that to fix the blame on Trinamool which was only concerned that he could complete his customary budget speech and did not face any misbehaviour. "The tweet by the governor also reveals his nexus with BJP and indicates his original plan to leave the Assembly midway without completing the procedure, and our women MLAs didn't allow that to happen," Ghosh said.
PTI
