By IANS,
Kolkata : The opposition Left Front members Friday staged a noisy walk-out from the West Bengal assembly after failing to elicit any response from the government on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegation that the Marxists have mixed poison in the water at Nodakhali of South 24 Parganas district.
The LF members were also incensed with Speaker Biman Banerjee turning down their demand for a discussion on an opposition-sponsored adjournment motion in a case of farmer suicide.
On Thursday, Public Health Engineering Minister Subrata Mukherjee had alleged both in and outside the house that a “rumour” was circulating at Nodakhali in South 24-Parganas that a water plant had been poisoned and saw the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) hand in that. He also expressed suspicion that the CPI-M had
“such a plan”. Soon after, the chief minister endorsed Mukherjee’s view.
As soon as the house assembled Friday, the LF members were on their feet and raised slogans demanding withdrawal of the statement.
But as the chief minister remained unmoved, they tried to move an adjournment motion on a farmer’s suicide saying he took the extreme step after suffering agricultural losses.
Outside the house, former minister and LF leader Anisur Rahman said the chief minister’s comments were both “untrue” and “inhuman” and resolved to continue the protests till she apologised and withdrew her remark.
Minister Mukherjee said the state police’s Criminal investigation Department has initiated an inquiry into the matter on a “routine basis”. He alleged that the CPI-M led LF was trying to thwart parliamentary democracy by disrupting the functioning of the house.