Congress, Left MLAs stage walk-out as speaker disallows price rise discussion

Congress and Left Front MLAs on Monday staged a joint walk-out jointly in the State Assembly, after speaker Biman Banerjee refused to hold a discussion on the spiraling rise in prices. Leader of the Opposition Abdul Mannan said the Speaker was not allowing debate on important issues and accused him of being partial. He said the high prices of essential commodities had affected all sections of people, particularly the poor who were facing severe hardship and it was unfortunate that the Speaker did not allow an adjournment motion on the subject.

Mannan stated the state government had not taken adequate measures to being down the prices of essential commodities and alleged that a tacit undetstanding between the Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party was behind this. “It is because of this understanding that Trinamool is quiet on the issue,” he said. Congress had organised a rally, which started from Ram Lila Maidan off Entally to Gandhi Statue on Saturday on the issue.

Left Front had issued an order, asking its leaders not to take part in the rally. Flouting the diktat, CPI(M) MLA Tanmay Bhattacharya took part in the rally and was reprimanded by the party’s state secretary Surya Kanta Misra. Several Left Front leaders condemned it as well.

Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said he would speak to Bhattacharya about the issue. Bhattacharya said he was a disciplined soldier of the party and would obey their instruction. “I will talk to the leaders and explain my stand,” he said.

Leaders of both the Congress and Left Front tried to send a message to political leaders that whatever may be the decision of the Politburo and Central Committee of the Left Front – who described the alliance as not in consonance with the Central Committee’s decision – the tie up will continue in the Assembly.