Kolkata, Jul 30 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari speaks to the media during a protest against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the ongoing Monsoon session of the West Bengal assembly, in Kolkata on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: ANI
Alleging deprivation of north Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators in the West Bengal Assembly held protests in the State Assembly on Thursday.
The BJP legislators led by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari assembled near the Ambedkar Statue in the State Assembly and held posters highlighting several issues including the condition of tea gardens and non availability of health facilities in north Bengal among others.
Mr. Adhikari said the people of north Bengal should be provided facilities in their region so that they are not forced to visit Kolkata. The protests by the BJP legislators came amidst demands of divisions of the State as well creation of Union Territory out of certain districts of the State.
The protests also come days before the members of Treasury Benches are likely to bring a resolution in the State Assembly against attempts to divide the State.
During the day, senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh also said that his party has no plans of dividing the State. “The BJP has never advocated for dividing West Bengal, nor has it included such a proposal in any manifesto. Our founder, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, was instrumental in the formation of West Bengal. Like everyone else, we (BJP) also cherish Bengal,” Mr. Ghosh told journalists in the premises of State Assembly.
The BJP legislators celebrated the birth anniversary of Mr. Ghosh in the State Assembly. Earlier Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari had said that the BJP does not support any division of the State.
Mr. Ghosh criticised the Trinamool Congress and said that the party deceives the people of north Bengal and has not ushered in any development in north Bengal. The former State BJP president came in support of State BJP president Sukanata Majumdar and said that Mr. Majumdar had not spoken about division of the State but outlined a development plan for the region.
“If north Bengal is included with Northeast as a part of West Bengal, then north Bengal will get its fair share of funds from central schemes and the region can see development,” Mr. Majumdar had said a few days ago, triggering speculations about division of the State.
Reacting to the remarks of the BJP leaders, senior Trinamool Congress leader and Minister-in-Charge for Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Sovandeb Chattopadhyay this is political hypocrisy where one section of the party wants division of the State and another says there should be no division of West Bengal.
BJP ends boycott of Firhad Hakim
In another development the BJP legislators withdrew from their stand of boycotting State’s Minister of Urban Development Firhad Hakim. The BJP legislators were boycotting Mr. Hakim for his comments on Dawat-e-Islam where he said that those not born in Islam were not unfortunate.
“It was not my intention to hurt anyone’s religion,” Mr. Hakim said in the Assembly. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said that the Minister can visit any religious event but he cannot hurt sentiments of others.
The Minister told journalists that he is a secular person and cannot think of hurting any religion knowingly or unknowingly.
