Trinamool alleges Minister's patronage, disrupts Assembly

By Malabika Bhattacharya

KOLKATA, JUNE 28. The newly-elected Trinamool Congress legislators went on the rampage today in the West Bengal Assembly, demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister, Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, following the arrest on Wednesday of nearly a dozen armed, wanted criminals from the Salt Lake stadium, the unofficial preserve of the Sports Minister, Mr. Subhash Chakraborty.

Led by the Trinamool Legislature Party leader, Mr. Pankaj Banerjee, the MLAs broke the furniture, overturned the Speaker's desk, uprooted microphones and demanded Mr. Chakraborty's resignation for allegedly ``harbouring anti- socials.''

The Howrah police, who conducted the raid on Wednesday, however, said that they had never suggested that Mr. Chakraborty was patronising the criminals. The Minister is currently in New Delhi undergoing treatment and has reportedly denied any involvement with the criminals.

The Trinamool supremo, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, revived her demand for a Central rule in West Bengal saying law and order had collapsed in the State. At a news conference, she said the arrest of the criminals from the stadium only proved the Trinamool's repeated charge that the ruling Leftists were harbouring anti- socials to stay in office. ``It is nothing but State-sponsored terrorism.'' She would soon write to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister urging them to intervene immediately and dismiss the State Government.

Ms. Banerjee said her party would boycott the Assembly proceedings for the next three days and hold condemnation rallies all over the State on Sunday to apprise the people of the ``misdeeds'' of the Left Front Government.

Earlier, the Assembly witnessed chaos as the Trinamool MLAs stalled the proceedings and demanded a discussion on the arrest of criminals. As soon as the House assembled in the morning, Mr. Banerjee displayed a Bengali daily which carried a report on the arrest of the anti-socials and demanded that the Speaker suspend the question hour to allow a discussion.

When the Speaker, Mr. H. A. Halim, turned it down, Mr. Banerjee, the Trinamool chief whip, Mr. Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay, and other party members rushed towards his chair. Even as the Speaker appealed for calm, pandemonium broke out as the protesters snatched away microphones and went on the rampage. The Congress MLAs, too, joined the protest.

The Chief Minister, who was present during the bedlam, condemned the happenings and said it was not clear what the Opposition demand was. On the newspaper report, he said he would make a statement in the House on the issue.

Interestingly, the Congress resented the method of protest by the Trinamool legislators inside the House. According to Mr. Abdul Mannan, Congress MLA, the Trinamool did not agree to a suggestion of moving an adjournment motion to record protest. ``The entire method of protest remained confined to shouting and disturbances while there was no move to have the issue recorded in the House.''

A delegation of 35 Trinamool Congress and three Congress MLAs met the Governor and demanded the resignation of Mr. Chakraborty.

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