Bengal Guv stopped from reading out assembly speech by agitating BJP MLAs

Amid a ruckus, Dhankhar ended his speech by reading out a few lines from the last paragraphs and left the assembly house around 2.15 pm.

An agitation by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators at the state assembly on Friday afternoon stopped Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar from reading out the speech prepared by the state government for the inauguration of the budget session.

Bengal Guv stopped from reading out assembly speech by agitating BJP MLAs

Dhankhar started his speech at 2 pm but had to stop after four minutes as the BJP legislators reached the well of the House and started shouting slogans against the government. They held posters and banners showing images of BJP supporters allegedly killed by Trinammol Congress (TMC) workers during post-poll violence. They objected to some lines in the speech which said some violence took place before the new government took charge and a “section of people” was carrying out a false campaign using fake photos and videos.

Amid a ruckus, Dhankhar ended his speech by reading out a few lines from the last paragraphs and left the assembly house around 2.15 pm.

Senior legislators said such an incident never took place in the past.

“We staged the agitation because the speech prepared by the government did not mention post-poll violence although it is now a national issue. We were not protesting against the governor,” said BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition at the assembly.

Suvendu Adhikari claimed that Dhankhar did not read the whole speech to express sympathy for the victims of violence but parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee dismissed the suggestion.

“The governor was interrupted by the unruly BJP members but his speech was accepted and placed before the House. In the second half of the session, the speaker passed the motion of thanks as well. So, technically the governor delivered his speech. Those who are denying it do not know parliamentary rules,” said Chatterjee.

Although the chief minister was defeated in the state polls by Adhikari she attended the House to maintain protocol, TMC leaders said. The TMC bagged 213 of the state’s 294 seats while the BJP could win only 77. However, two BJP legislators resigned from the assembly to retain their Lok Sabha constituencies. For the first time since Independence, the Left and Congress could not win even a single seat.

All this happened a day after ties between Raj Bhawan and the TMC worsened with the ruling party releasing two photographs to insinuate a link between the main accused in the fake Covid-19 vaccination racket and Dhankhar. The TMC also alleged that Dhankhar was accused in the Jain hawala case in the 1990s.

Though Dhankhar did not react to the allegations, political observers felt his speech at the assembly might raise a storm.

On June 28, chief minister Mamata alleged that Dhankhar was accused in the Jain hawala case and branded him “corrupt”. While rubbishing the allegation on that day, Dhankhar told the media that he was not bound to read out the speech prepared by the state government while inaugurating the budget session. “Am I supposed to read out everything that is written?” Dhankhar said on the evening of June 28.

This triggered speculations because in February last year Dhankhar wanted to edit the speech prepared by the state for the budget session. The government rejected his suggestion. Dhankhar finally followed convention and read out the speech that was critical of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

In January this year, Dhankhar criticised the government for not inviting him to the year’s first assembly session although the House conducted its business for only two days.

On Wednesday, the Governor shot a letter to assembly speaker Biman Banerjee, saying he was “more saddened than anguished” at the allegation Banerjee made against him at the June 21 national speakers’ conference chaired by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla.

Banerjee complained to Om Birla that Dhankhar was interfering in the functioning of the assembly. Dhankhar also wrote to Banerjee that the allegation, that Raj Bhawan was not clearing some important bills passed by the assembly, is not true.

On Friday, however, the acrimony was not visible at the assembly house. The chief minister and the speaker greeted Dhankhar at the gates when he arrived at 1.48 pm. They walked up to the statue of BR Ambedkar and places flowers together. Banerjee escorted Dhankhar to the House and also saw him off. The two were seen talking cordially.