New Delhi: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Wednesday addressed the state legislative assembly for the first time kicking off the budget session amid walkout by BJP MLAs who protested against the content of his speech.
The BJP legislators shouted slogans against the Mamata Banerjee-led government and claimed the governor’s speech had “no relation with reality”.
"The governor’s speech has no relation with reality. This is one of the most corrupt governments in the state. We staged a walkout as there is no mention of corruption cases and arrest of TMC leaders in the speech," news agency PTI quoted Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari as saying.
As ruckus broke out in the assembly, BJP MLAs tore copies of the Governor’s speech on the floor of the House and even shouted slogans against him.
"The state government is misguiding the Governor. They are providing false data, and the Governor is reading it. I think the Governor should follow the footsteps of other governors," Adhikari said.
Meanwhile, the TMC accused the Opposition of trying to disrupt the assembly proceedings and said Bose was functioning as per norms.
Senior TMC minister Firhad Hakim said the opposition leader had forgotten the decorum that Governor cannot be criticised for his address.
"Earlier, the BJP had turned the Raj Bhawan into its party office. If the present Governor is working as per norms, what is the problem? He thinks every Governor will work as a flag bearer of the BJP," he said.
The BJP took offence at a particular section of the Governor’s speech where the latter said, “Under the stewardship of my chief minister, the preceding year passed off peacefully and the government is ever alert to maintain law and order and communal harmony in the state. Religious festivities of all hues were celebrated in an atmosphere of mirth and bonhomie, reflective of the spirit of our rich diversity.”
It is to be noted that the relationship between the TMC government and the present governor is cordial, which is in sharp contrast to the hostile relation that the Bengal government shared with former governor and now vice-president of India Jagdeep Dhankar.