Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday inaugurated the Platinum Jubilee Memorial Building at the Legislative Assembly on the eve of Constitution Day, which falls on November 26.
While speaking at the inaugural programme, she regretted the absence of any legislator from Opposition BJP at the ceremony. "This is a historic moment. The Assembly is a place where there is representation from all castes and creed. I would have been very happy if BJP legislators would have turned up," Banerjee said.
She requested Speaker Biman Banerjee to take steps for digitisation of all documents associated with history of the Assembly and preserve them in the library of the Memorial building.
She also urged the Speaker to think of presenting some sort of memento to the staff and employees of the Assembly, to the scribes who cover the Assembly and also to the staff of the Public Works department involved in the construction of the swanky structure.
Banerjee asked Raj Chakraborty , chairman of Kolkata International Film Festival, who was present at the programme to hand extend invitations to all MLAs, including the Opposition, at the inauguration of the KIFF, which will be graced by Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sourav Ganguly.
Banerjee also released a book titled "Selected Speeches of Bidhan Chandra Roy" on the occasion.
Speaker Biman Banerjee added that standing committee meetings and other important programmes can be held in the two auditoriums in the building. Conferences by inviting speakers from other states can also be hosted in the Bengal Assembly. The Platinum Jubilee Memorial Building has been constructed by involving Rs 25.84 crore. Its work began in September 2018. "We are working on building a museum with all the modern facilities here," the Speaker further said.