Why Was the Anti-SIR Motion in the Bengal Assembly Disallowed?
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Key Takeaways
Kolkata, Feb 5 (NationPress) In a surprising turn of events, the treasury bench in the West Bengal Assembly introduced a motion on Thursday aimed at criticizing the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. This occurred just an hour before the anticipated presentation of the interim (vote-on-account) budget.
However, the Speaker of the House, Biman Bandopadhyay, prohibited any debate on this motion, citing that a critical hearing regarding the matter is still pending at the Supreme Court, with the next hearing scheduled for February 9.
The opposition leader in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation, stating that the legislative team of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the main opposition party in the state, should have been notified in advance that a discussion on the motion would not take place.
“We arrived fully prepared to engage in the debate on this motion. Why were we not informed sooner that there would be no discussion?” he questioned.
Prior to the motion's introduction, Governor C.V. Ananda Bose delivered the traditional opening address for the budget session. Notably, he did not complete the full speech, leaving it unfinished.
Defending the Governor's decision, Adhikari argued that he was right to not read the entire address, claiming, “The speech was crafted by the state government and was filled with inaccuracies. Thus, the Governor made the correct choice by not presenting the complete speech.”
Furthermore, Adhikari raised concerns about the limited speaking time allotted to him regarding the Governor’s address. After the Speaker announced that one hour was reserved for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while only 10 minutes were designated for him, Adhikari voiced his objections.
“It would have been preferable if no time had been allocated for me at all,” he conveyed to the Speaker of the House.