TMC lodges FIR against BJP for ‘disrupting’ Mamata’s press meet

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) Parliamentary party has lodged an FIR with Hare Street Police Station alleging disruption during the virtual press conference of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after presentation of the state Budget on Thursday.

Speaker Biman Banerjee said on Friday that prior permission from the Assembly will be needed from now on before conducting any Press meet at the Assembly’s

press corner.

“The BJP intentionally continued their press conference at the press corner for a long time to hamper the press interaction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the Budget. Even when the Chief Minister’s press meet was aired through the projection system, the Opposition deliberately disrupted it by disconnecting the wires of the projector. We have lodged an FIR urging the police to conduct an enquiry and identify those responsible for such incident,” state Parliamentary Affairs minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said.

He added that Banerjee was not in the best of health on Thursday and so she could not make it to the press corner and had hence decided to interact with the press from her assembly chamber in virtual mode.

The Speaker said on Friday that in order to avoid repetition of such untoward incidents, prior permission should be required for conducting press meet at the designated press corner. He added that no such press interaction should go beyond 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, TMC also brought in a breach of privilege notice against six BJP legislators namely Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Mihir Goswami, Bankim Ghosh, Agnimitra Pal, Tapasi Mondal and Sikha Chatterjee, levelling charges of disrespect of the national anthem and the state song against them.

“A notification was issued that the state budget will start with the state song ‘Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal’ and will end with the national anthem. Even in government programmes the same method is being followed. We were amazed because as soon as the state song was played before the start of the budget, the BJP legislators initially did not stand up but a few seconds later started singing the national anthem. Even in the Indian Parliament the national song is sung after the conclusion of the Budget session. So, they deliberately dishonoured the state as well as the national anthem and hence the privilege notice,” Chattopadhyay said.

Speaker Biman Banerjee read the breach of privilege notice given by Chattopadhyay and chief whip Nirmal Ghosh and said that he would examine the same and will give his ruling in due course. Reacting to it, Suvendu Adhikari said, “It is the sixth time when allegations of breach of privilege have been brought against me. We do not give any importance to such acts.”