Key Points
BJP seeks discussion on Holi festival communal clashes
Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay refuses adjournment motion
Opposition stages walkout in protest
Tensions high in West Bengal Assembly
The festival is popular as “Dolyatra” in the state.
On Friday, the Chief Whip of BJP's legislative party, Shankar Ghosh moved the adjournment motion and sought either a discussion on the matter or a statement from the state government in the House on the clashes during the Holi festival.
The Speaker refused to admit any of the pleas and said that since already discussions on the issue of “communal harmony” had been discussed in the House earlier and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had herself spoken on the issue, there was no requirement for further discussion or additional statement on this issue.
On the Speaker's refusal, the BJP legislators also started protesting in the House and raised slogans. The members from the treasury bench also started raising counter-slogans, thus resulting in total pandemonium within the House for quite some time.
After some time, the BJP legislators staged a walkout from the House and continued their protests, first on the Assembly lawn and thereafter in front of the Assembly. The protesting BJP legislators were joined by the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who claimed that "each time their legislators seek discussion on the attack during the festival of any particular religion, the Speaker does not allow us".
“In several villages at Sainthian in Birbhum district Internet has been suspended. Our Chief Whip just sought a statement from the state government in this matter. Had I been in the House, I would have sought a statement from the state police minister, who is also the Chief Minister herself. If the state government does not give answers to these questions, where will it give the reply? The Speaker is acting with one of his eyes closed," Adhikari said.
