Kolkata : BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the West Begal Assembly on Friday after Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay refused to allow them to table an adjournment motion against alleged attacks on religious places in the state during the recent Hindu festive season. The plea for the tabling of the motion was led by BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.
“This issue (about attacks and atrocities) had already come up during debates the day before. No separate adjournment motion is needed,” the Speaker said while turning down the plea. The walkout followed a round of sloganeering by the BJP legislators in the wake of the Speaker’s refusal. Around 40 BJP MLAs held up placards with slogans written on them in Bangla.
The slogans include “Religious places were attacked during Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Kartik Puja in Bengal. This can’t be allowed. The state must act.” Amid the din, the Speaker said to the BJP MLAs: “If you behave in this manner, I will not allow you to raise points on issues in future. I had always believed in giving you the space and you must reciprocate.”
“Indian Constitution allows Right to Freedom of Religion under different articles is being violated again and again in West Bengal. At places like Falakata, Garden Reach, Shyampur, Rajabazar, Nodakhali and Beldanga among others, there had been instances where miscreants from a particular community obstructed different Hindu religious programmes. The state government has totally failed in preventing such acts of vandalism of the idols of gods and goddesses and setting fire. We demand that there should be a discussion on this issue in the House,” read the adjournment motion (written in Bangla), as per news agency IANS.
Reacting to Speaker’s comments, Adhikari told wire agency PTI: “No discussion on the recent attacks by ‘jihadi elements’ had taken place in the House yesterday. Don’t know why the Speaker said this.” The opposition party members also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee if she could “not save the lives and properties of the people and the religious rights of every citizen of the state”.
Following the walkout, BJP’s Chief Whip in the West Bengal Assembly, Shankar Ghosh, said, “We wanted to bring an adjournment motion. Everyone must be aware of how attacks at puja pandals took place in Metiabruz, Falakata during Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja and at Beldanga during Kartik Puja. The situation is alarming. West Bengal is not Bangladesh. The Speaker does not want the opposition to bring up this crucial issue.”
