Countering BJP, TMC Likely To Introduce Motion In Assembly In Support Of Speaker

In a bid to counter BJP's no-confidence motion against West Bengal assembly speaker Biman Banerjee, the TMC legislative party is mulling the possibility of introducing another motion to establish the fact that the House has full faith on him.During the budget session on February 13, the Assembly had witnessed high drama as Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, upset over portions of his speech being expunged, staged a walkout, raising slogans against the speaker, who stopped short of suspending him as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologised on behalf of the Nandigram MLA.

The BJP legislative party next decided to move a no-confidence motion against the speaker for allegedly not letting Adhikari speak inside the House."There is a possibility that the TMC legislative party will introduce a motion to prove that the House has complete faith in Speaker Biman Banerjee. The BJP is deliberately trying to create chaos inside the House. We have to counter its move," a senior TMC minister, privy to the development, said.

The TMC will move the motion once the session begins on March 6. The BJP, however, declined to attach much importance to the TMC's motion by saying that it was on expected lines. "The speaker doesn't allow our leader Suvendu Adhikari to speak, but the TMC leaders and the chief Minister are allowed to say just about anything. The rules of the House are not followed. This can't go on," BJP MLA Mihir Goswami said.