Kolkata: In yet another slugfest between the BJP and the TMC, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari claimed that this is the first time that a Leader of Opposition didn’t get an invitation to attend the Republic Day parade at Red Road.
“This is the first time that LoP didn’t get an invitation to attend the parade at Red Road. Even last year the former LoP Abdul Mannan got invited. May be just because Mamata Banerjee lost to me in Nandigram constituency in the Assembly polls, she didn’t want to invite me,” said Adhikari while inaugurating CCTV cameras in temples at Nandigram.
Taking further potshots at Mamata, Adhikari said that there is medicine for cancer but no medicine of ‘jealousy’ of TMC.
Later, Adhikari also took to Twitter and posted a video saying, “The office of the Chief Minister has been disgraced like never before. This video reveals the disregard of protocol by @MamataOfficial. Unprecedented act of impropriety. Is it because Hon'ble Governor @jdhankhar1is asking tough questions?”
According to state secretariat Nabanna sources, in keeping with the pandemic protocols several state ministers were also not invited at the parade and also that a total of 60 people were invited at the program.
Hitting back at Adhikari, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed that Adhikari and his entire family were ‘blessed’ by Mamata Banerjee.
Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Biman Bandhopadhyay, hitting back at Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he will have to give ‘reason’ if he wants to come to the Assembly voluntarily.
“We must accept the constitutional protocols of the state government and the Governor. But beyond his constitutional obligation, if he wants to come to the Assembly, we will ask for the reason which we will think about and take into consideration,” said Bandhopadhyay.
This development came a day after when the Governor at the Assembly slammed both the Speaker and the state government for not ‘cooperating’ with him and ‘criticising’ him.
“In West Bengal, there is no democracy. The rulers rule this state and not law. Mamata Banerjee had forgotten that the Governor of the state should be given respect. People of this state had to pay a heavy price after they voted as per their choice,” Dhankhar was heard saying.
Slamming the Assembly Speaker Biman Bandhopadhyay, he alleged that the Speaker had ‘blacked out’ his speech twice in the Assembly.
“According to Article 168, the Governor is number one in the legislature, second in the House. I will not withstand such unconstitutional work. If the Speaker henceforth blackout addresses of the Governor, then he will face music of law,” mentioned Dhankhar. He also added that the language in which the Speaker writes letters to Governor House is ‘unconstitutional’.
