Speaker dubs BJP’s ‘walkout’ on price rise issues ‘political agenda’

Kolkata: BJP MLAs on Friday walked out of the Bengal Assembly on the issue of the price rise of essential commodities in the state and also staged a demonstration at the gates of the Assembly by holding placards denouncing the price rise.

BJP MLAs moved an adjournment motion in the Assembly on price rise and said the prices of potatoes, onions and other essential commodities were escalating despite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s assurance that prices would be checked.

Speaking on the issue, state Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in the Assembly said that potato was being sold at Rs 28 per kg.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP MLAs countered Chattopadhyay’s statement. The BJP legislators who were present in the House staged a walkout holding empty paper plates with a slogan written on them — ‘Eto daam khabo ki?’ (It’s so expensive, what will we eat?). The MLAs, led by Adhikari, protested outside the

assembly gates.

Chattopadhyay who is also the Parliamentary Affairs minister later clarified before reporters that he meant to say that potato was being sold at Rs 28 per kg in 600 Sufal Bangla stalls (state-run essential commodities outlets). Chattopadhyay also claimed that the price rise was due to a spike in prices of petroleum products. He alleged that Centre has not taken any steps to check the price rise and even made the Essential Commodities Act redundant, making it

difficult for the state to exercise its powers.

“They had a political agenda. Otherwise, why would they walk out and stage such protests when I allowed them to move the motion and there was discussion in the House,” Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay told the media after being asked about the BJP’s walkout.

BJP MLAs including Adhikari also alleged that state-owned and private power utilities were raising the tariff of power abnormally, affecting the common people. State Parliamentary Affairs minister Chattopadhyay however claimed that the power tariff of state power utility WBSEDCL was among the lowest in the country, while private power utility in Kolkata, CESC, has been asked by the government to keep its slab rational and economical. He told the House that the Regulatory Commission fixes power tariffs and the Bengal government has managed to keep the power tariff low. He alleged that the Centre was not allowing Coal India to provide coal to thermal power plants in the state.

Power Minister Arup Biswas in his reply said that power tariffs have been increased in all BJP-ruled states but the tariff in areas under the state power utility WBSEDCL was Rs 7.12 per unit.