The Bengal BJP legislators on Tuesday staged a walk-out from the Assembly after Speaker Biman Banerjee suspended Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari for a day for protesting against an alleged “defamatory” remark made against the Indian Army by State Education Minister Bratya Basu.
The Speaker suspended Adhikari for a day prompting the saffron MLAs to walk out of the House shouting slogans against what they called a “Government of (Muslim) appeasers.”
The heated exchanges started after Basu compared the Monday’s dismantling of a Trinamool Congress stage — by the Army personnel — at Mayo Road in Maidan-Esplanade area with the atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistani Army on the people of then East Pakistan during the 1952 language movement leading to thousands of deaths. The Eastern Command of the Indian Army headquartered at Fort Williams is the custodian of the vast area of land where the TMC had erected its stage to protest against the alleged atrocities on the migrant workers from Bengal in the BJP-ruled States. “We wanted the Speaker not to include the Statement of the Education Minister in the proceedings, he would not listen to us and as we protested he unconstitutionally suspended me,” Adhikari told reporters outside the House. The other BJP MLAs said “Bengal doesn’t want this pro-appeasement Mamata Banerjee Gove-rnment.” The State Government had summoned a 3-day special session to discuss and pass a resolution against the alleged harassment of migrant workers from Bengal. The Chief Minister is likely to deliver a speech on September 4 on the issue.
Meanwhile, in what is being viewed as a “retaliatory measure” by the State Government against the Army’s act of dismantling the TMC stage from its land, an Army truck was on Tuesday detained by the Kolkata Traffic Police which lodged an FIR against the Army personnel driving the vehicle with rash and negligent driving.
The Army vehicle was seized for a brief period before being released by the Hare Street Police Station, sources said.
Accordingly the Army vehicle had taken a right turn near the Writers’ Buildings when an SUV overtook it barely averting a clash.
Kolkata Commissioner of Police Manoj Verma was travelling in the black SUV.
The police promptly took cognizance and stopped the Army vehicle.
“I was taking a right turn near the Writers’ Buildings as the signal was showing ‘go right’, I was driving in a controlled speed when a speeding vehicle reportedly of the CP sahib came from behind and swerved right and overtook me, I think I was well within the traffic rules,” the Army personnel driving the vehicle said.
Soon afterwards the BJP supporters staged protests at various points in Kolkata accusing the State Government for its vindictive politics and “harassing and insulting the Indian Army.”