TMC moves privilege notice against BJP’s Agnimitra over ‘madrasa’ remarks

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) moved a Breach of Privilege notice against BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul in the Assembly on Saturday over her remarks on madrasa education and minority welfare spending during a debate on the Interim Budget on Friday.

Speaker Biman Banerjee allowed Parliamentary Affairs minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay to move a proposal in the House, condemning the comments made by Paul about the allocation of funds to madrasas in the interim budget.

The Speaker admitted the notice, stating that he would examine the matter and deliver his ruling in due course.

The announcement immediately drew protests from the Opposition benches. BJP legislators staged a walkout,

raising slogans against what they termed the Speaker’s “authoritarian conduct”. As the House started on Saturday morning, the Speaker said

he was allowing Chattopadhyay to move the proposal, condemning certain

comments made by Paul, “allegedly directed against a section of minority community members” during her speech on the vote on account on Friday.

“Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay alleged in a letter signed by several other senior members that Agnimitra Paul’s comments were against the secular spirit of our country and this august House. I had already made it clear on Friday that such comments will not be allowed,” Banerjee stated. The matter is under consideration, added the Speaker.

The controversy stemmed from Friday when Paul, the BJP MLA from Asansol South, questioned the state’s increased allocation for madrasa education and minority development. Alleging what she described as “appeasement politics”, she asked how many doctors or engineers had emerged from madrasas and went further to accuse the government of “creating criminals” in the name of minority welfare.