West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Thursday said the state government has remained steadfast in protecting democratic and fundamental rights and is focused on building a resilient and inclusive ecosystem for growth and holistic development.

Addressing the inaugural sitting of the Assembly at the start of the budget session ahead of the vote-on-account, Bose said that amid global economic uncertainty, geopolitical volatility and climate challenges, the government remains steadfast in protecting democratic and fundamental rights of the people.

The emphasis on democratic and fundamental rights comes amid a controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, with the ruling Trinamool Congress alleging that the exercise could lead to large-scale exclusion of eligible voters, while the Election Commission has maintained that the process aims to improve transparency and accuracy in the electoral system.

The governor lauded the state for Kolkata consistently bagging the 'safest city in India' tag and praised initiatives to promote commerce and industry to generate employment.

"Six new economic corridors and the upcoming Tajpur port will provide a major communication lifeline and give a huge fillip to the marine ecosystem," he said.

The governor spent about five minutes reading a portion of the inaugural address and laid it before the House.

The address ended on a politically charged note, with treasury bench members raising slogans of 'Jai Bangla', while opposition legislators responded with 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', as Bose was ceremonially escorted out of the House by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Speaker Biman Banerjee.

Banerjee later responded to criticism by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who alleged that the customary address, prepared by the government, did not adequately mention women's safety and the law and order situation, and claimed the governor chose not to read the full speech due to these "omissions".

The chief minister said the governor had said what was necessary.

"As far as I know... he had a flight to catch at 1.15 pm. For that reason, he spoke for the time he had and wished to lay the rest with the permission of the chair," Banerjee said.

She also defended the practice by citing her experience as a former Union railway minister, saying it was not unusual to speak briefly with the Speaker's permission and leave the rest of the address on record.

Hitting out at the opposition, Banerjee said, "When there is nothing to say, an idle mind is the devil's workshop. To those who are looting and lying, I say the word 'infiltrator' has entered your heads and nothing else." Responding to BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh's claim that the number of voters had risen by 70 per cent between 2009 and 2014, Banerjee questioned the calculation.

"Will new students and youths not be included? Will those turning 18 not get voting rights? Secondly, where did this 70 per cent figure come from? I don't think even a magician could prove this," she said.

Earlier, Adhikari alleged that demographic changes due to infiltration were behind the rise in voter numbers and accused the state of not providing land for border fencing despite repeated requests.

Banerjee countered the charge, saying land had been given to several central agencies and that the state would provide more once work on previously allotted land was completed, asking whether the opposition had identified "even one Rohingya".

Adhikari also questioned why the governor did not read the entire speech, alleging he stopped midway over references critical of the Centre.

He further raised objections over the speakers' list for the session, to which the Speaker said only the chief minister would speak from the treasury benches while the Leader of the Opposition was allotted 10 minutes.

The governor's address began amid slogan-shouting and counter-slogans from both sides as the House plunged into sharp political sparring on the opening day of the budget session.

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