By IANS,
Kolkata: Left Front members protested outside the West Bengal assembly Sunday after the speaker disallowed former legislators from entering to pay respects to late chief minister Jyoti Basu on his 99th birth anniversary.
The former legislators, including Hashim Abdul Halim, who was the speaker for 29 years from 1982 to 2011, later paid floral tributes to Basu on the road outside the assembly’s gate.
The drama began soon after the Left legislators, accompanied by former ministers and legislators, arrived at the assembly for the programme.
Assembly marshall Debabrata Majumdar told them that only current members could go in.
The Left representatives protested and there were heated exchanges with Majumdar and other security personnel.
Communist Party of India-Marxist legislator Anisur Rahman demanded a written order.
Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra then called up Speaker Biman Banerjee from his mobile in the full glare of the media.
“Sir, former MLAs, some of whom won their first election in 1971, ex-ministers, many of them old, are standing outside the assembly. Are they criminals or what? All of them have identity cards. But your marshall is obstructing them. Kindly instruct to him to let them in,” Mishra said.
Mishra then told his colleagues that the present members would pay floral tributes at Basu’s portrait and then the former legislators would pay tributes outside the assembly.
Mishra later hit out at the government.
“Today is Basu’s birthday, but his colleagues, some of whom have worked in the assembly with him for decades, were not allowed to go in,” he said.
“This smacks of political vendetta.”
The Left members boycotted Friday’s official programme in the assembly saying it was an insult to Basu that his birthday was held on another day only to suit Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s convenience.
Lashing out against the government, Halim said denial of entry to former lawmakers was against the parliamentary convention.
Denying the charge, Speaker Biman Banerjee alleged that the Left Front members were playing politics.
“They did not show any political courtesy to the speakers post. They did not make any written application to me. They did not provide me a list of those who would be present. So I gave instructions that only present members should be allowed,” he said.
“Today is a holiday. I can’t open the assembly door for everyone because I have to think about the security aspect,” he said.
“Today the leader of the opposition misbehaved with me. They shouted outside the assembly. They did all this only to score political brownie points,”
The ruling Trinamool Congress stood by the speaker.
“They (the opposition) are deliberately trying to create pandemonium. Do they think they can do whatever they like?” said state Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee.
“Today they have choreographed this entire incident to gain the attention of the media. When Jyoti ‘babu’ was alive, they did not pay any respects. And now, when he is dead, they are trying to gain political mileage by using him,” Mukherjee said.
However, the state Congress criticised the government.
“Whatever has happened should not have happened. If those who fought Jyoti Basu for years can pay respect to him in the assembly, then Left Front representatives — who are followers of Basu — also have the same right,” said state Congress chief Pradip Bhattacharya.
Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee termed the incident as unfortunate.