Congress boycotts Assembly proceedings over Mamata's remarks

The Congress Legislature Party today boycotted proceedings of the West Bengal Assembly and demanded that the Speaker allow it to make a statement to counter last Wednesday's remarks made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blaming the party and the Centre for price rise.

Congress member Manas Bhuniya said the party would boycott the Assembly proceedings unless the Speaker allowed it to make a statement in the House in front of the Chief Minister.

Banerjee had made a sudden appearance in the House on November 20 last and started to make a statement on the potato crisis and the present price situation, Bhuniya said.

"Suddenly she deviated from the issue and started blaming the Centre and the Congress for following wrong policies which caused the present crisis in the prices of commodities," he said.

Bhuniya said the Chief Minister gave a political hue to her statement and turned it into a Congress-bashing one.

He said the leader of the Congress Legislature Party Md Sohrab and some other members had demanded that they also be allowed to make a statement to counter the Chief Minister, but was denied by the Speaker.

"We had written a letter to the Speaker to consider their demands," Bhuniya said, adding they would wait till the outcome of the business advisory panel meeting slated for tomorrow.