Chaos in WB Assembly as Governor’s speech disrupted by BJP MLAs

As per the schedule, Governor Jagdeep Dhankar entered the Assembly after paying homage at the statue of BR Ambedkar. But as soon as the national anthem finished playing, Opposition BJP MLAs began their protest, entering the well of the House. Though the Governor requested the MLAs to go back to their seats and hear his speech, the latter raised slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. After 20 minutes of the agitation, the Governor spoke to Speaker Biman Banerjee, indicating his wish to leave the House.

Subsequently, chief minister Mamata Banerjee, parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee and other ministers requested him not to leave the House until he made his address. In fact, the ruling party MLAs almost gheraoed him, preventing him from leaving the House. Even Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari refused the Governor’s pleas to pacify his colleagues and end their agitation.

After an hour of protests, the Governor read out the first and last sentences of his address so that it could be considered tabled and the budget session could begin in the Assembly.

CM Banerjee later said, “I am going to the Raj Bhavan. I must thank him because he read at least one line of the speech so that the budget session can be started now.”

“What happened in the Assembly today was unprecedented. BJP does not believe in democracy. They are losing everywhere and so disrupting the process of democracy. I am shocked and disheartened.”

Adhikari lay the blame for the disruption on the ruling party MLAs. “Chief Minister truly said it was an unprecedented incident. She was right. In legislative assembly of West Bengal, never before has a Governor been physically heckled by women MLAs of the ruling party. It was done on the instructions of the chief minister. It is a shame for democracy and the chief minister will have to take responsibility for the while incident.”