BJP legislators disrupt Jagdeep Dhankhar’s address

The saffron party members were protesting the allegedly compromised civic polls in the state

(Left) Mamata Banerjee requests Jagdeep Dhankhar not to leave the House without delivering the speech.: Pradip Sanyal

Meghdeep Bhattacharyya And Arkamoy Datta Majumdar   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |  08.03.22: The Bengal Assembly on Monday witnessed a ruckus, triggered by MLAs of the BJP, that delayed the gubernatorial address by an hour before governor Jagdeep Dhankhar read the opening and the concluding lines and tabled the speech following requests from chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

“Finally, he read the speech… I thank him for it. Had he not done it, there would have been a constitutional crisis…. Whether he did not want to do it or whether there was some sort of pressure on him… I cannot understand,” said the chief minister after seeing him off at the Assembly.

She also expressed astonishment with the behaviour of the BJP legislators saying they had come prepared to stall the session. “It was all pre planned,” she said.

The BJP members, who descended to the well of the House and demonstrated relentlessly, were protesting the allegedly compromised civic polls in the state. The BJP won none of the 108 municipalities and the five municipal corporations that had gone to the polls between December last year and February.

The stalemate lasted close to an hour, said a source in the ruling party, only because Dhankhar was apparently reluctant this time to read just the opening and concluding lines of his speech, table it, and leave. When a similar situation had arisen — then too on account of protesting BJP members — during his address to the newly formed Assembly on July 2, he had completed the formality in less than five minutes.

The incident took place a day after Dhankhar asked Speaker Biman Banerjee to ensure live telecast of the address, which the latter remained non-committal on. Before the session began on Monday, it was decided against.

Since the commotion began shortly after his entry at 2pm, Dhankhar was seen attempting at least thrice to leave the House without tabling his speech — a move that could have caused a constitutional crisis — only to be dissuaded by Mamata, Speaker Banerjee and several members of the treasury benches (most of them, women). Around 3pm, Dhankhar agreed to complete the minimal formality of tabling the address.

Political observers said if the address remained un-tabled, the Speaker would not have been able to continue with the Budget session.

“This was a drama, attempted by the BJP. Losing (in the elections), still no shame. I do not think what they did today was correct. It is a shame for democracy,” Mamata said.

At 2pm, BJP MLAs led by the leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari descended to the well with placards and started raising slogans, alleging malpractices and violence in the recent civic polls.

Initially, the governor waited for 15 minutes as the Speaker tried to convince the BJP MLAs to go back to their seats. Dhankhar also stood up and requested the agitators to go back to their seats and let the proceedings commence.

With no sign of response from the Opposition, Dhankhar went up to leave, the first time. Mamata immediately left her seat and approached him, several other senior ministers in tow.

With folded hands, she appealed to him not to leave without reading the speech. Dhankhar took his seat again.

He made at least two more attempts to leave, later, being dissuaded once by the Speaker and then by senior women members of the treasury benches, including ministers Chandrima Bhattacharya and Shashi Panja.

Dhankhar also called Adhikari close to him and apparently tried to convince the Nandigram MLA to lead his colleagues back to their seats. However, Adhikari did not oblige. After waiting for almost an hour, Dhankhar agreed to do what the treasury benches asked of him and proceeded to exit.

BJP MLAs  hold the demonstration in the Assembly.: Telegraph photo

Mamata said had Dhankhar not completed the formality, the Budget session could not have begun.

“He summoned the House’s session, which is why he came to address it, approving the speech… we urged him to read just a line… I myself urged him with folded hands,” she added, shortly before going over to the Raj Bhavan and spending 45 minutes with Dhankhar. “The situation that was created was most unfortunate… unprecedented in India.… The indecency, the incivility, the undemocratic behaviour.”

Asked why Dhankhar seemed reluctant to complete the formality this time, she said: “Please make your own calculations on this.”

“You all know what has been happening, what is happening, what isn’t happening. I am very sad and disheartened that in a democracy, a constitutionally elected government is disrupted continuously from working… it is not good for democracy,” added the Trinamul Congress chief.

Asked if she thought this was pre-planned, Mamata said: “Totally so. According to us, this was planned.”

“They lose even in their own (civic) wards and yet have no shame. They come here and misbehave…. You cannot equate both sides (the treasury benches and the Opposition). None of our people said anything at all,” she added. “We waited for an hour. Not one of our members said anything. The Speaker personally appealed repeatedly. I prayed with folded hands. Our women members prayed with folded hands…. To uphold the dignity of the Constitution.”

Psephologist Biswanath Chakraborty said there were three takeaways from Dhankhar’s actions on Monday.

First, the governor fulfilled his constitutional obligation by reading the first and last lines of the speech. Second, he stood his ground of contradiction with the government by not reading the entire speech, drafted by the state government lavishing praise on itself.

“Finally, by allowing the BJP to continue its agitation for an hour, he tried to send out a message that the Assembly was stalled for such a long time because of the agitation over poll-related violence,” said Chakraborty.

Adhikari — following a meeting later in the Raj Bhavan — alleged that Dhankhar was “physically assaulted” by women MLAs of Trinamul, demanding FIRs and legal action against the alleged perpetrators.

“They did so after the chief minister signalled them to do so, with her eyes. I don’t know if he (governor) would admit this in public,” said the Trinamul turncoat, who led a delegation of 52 BJP MLAs to meet Dhankhar. Ministers Bhattacharya and Panja rubbished the allegation.

Although Dhankhar did not directly acknowledge the attack – urging introspection and future restraint by both sides – he did complain regarding the blockade by members of the treasury benches and questioned the role of the Marshal of the House while the chaos was on.