Opposition Left Front on Sunday set a precedent by observing former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu’s birth anniversary outside the West Bengal Assembly after the Speaker disallowed many ex-MLAs to enter the premises on a holiday.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Surjya Kanta Mishra, a senior leader of the CPI (M), said Speaker Biman Banerjee allowed only the current MLAs, MPs and former Speaker H A Halim to enter the House to observe Basu’s birth anniversary, describing the stand as “unprecedented”.
“In protest, we observed Basu’s birth anniversary outside the north gate of the Assembly. Only some members along with me and former speaker H A Halim entered the Assembly premises to garland the portrait of Basu,” Mishra said.
When contacted, the Speaker told PTI that he cannot allow everybody to enter into the House on a holiday without prior permission.
“Any non-member or former member of the House may not have any job in the House on a holiday. For any specific reason, they could be allowed only after prior permission. Unfortunately I have not received any official request in this regard,” Banerjee argued.
Though Basu’s birthday falls on July 8, the West Bengal government observed the birth anniversary two days ago because the Assembly does not sit on a Sunday. The Left Front MLAs had abstained from the function.
Mishra had argued, “Birth anniversary can only be observed on the birth date and it can’t be advanced or postponed as was done in case of another former chief minister Dr B C Roy.”
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“Writers’ Buildings culture has hit the House badly,” he alleged.
Left Front members had earlier also abstained from attending the advanced birthday celebration of the state’s first chief minister, Dr B C Roy, in the Assembly on June 29, though his actual date of birth was July 1, which was a Sunday. After attending the anniversary on July 6 in the Assembly, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had remarked that the Left Front members had not shown the courtesy to a great leader belonging to the CPI (M).