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regular-article-logo Thursday, 25 April 2024

Prod on Assembly session

Left parties and the Congress jointly wrote to Mamata urging her to convene the legislative house against the Centre’s farm laws

Arkamoy Datta Majumdar Calcutta Published 01.01.21, 04:36 AM
The Left parties and the Congress had written seven letters to Mamata urging her to convene the Assembly since September.

The Left parties and the Congress had written seven letters to Mamata urging her to convene the Assembly since September. Shutterstock

Leaders of the Left Front and the Congress in the Assembly jointly wrote to chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urging her to convene the legislative house to facilitate a discussion on and a resolution against the Centre’s contentious farm laws.

“Several states have called Assembly sessions and passed resolutions declaring that the contentious farm bills will not be implemented in those states. There are other important issues that need to be debated upon as well,” Left legislative party leader Sujan Chakraborty said.

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Along with him, the letter was signed by leader of the Opposition Abdul Mannan.

“In spite of writing repeatedly to the CM, the Assembly has not been convened,” Chakraborty said.

Sources said since September, the Left parties and the Congress had written seven letters to Mamata urging her to convene the Assembly.

However, there has been no positive response from the government, which has prompted the Opposition to question Trinamul’s stand on the farm bills, the sources added.

The letter to Mamata says Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Kerala, along with many other states, have passed resolutions in their respective Assemblies not to implement “the anti-people legislations of the central government”.

The Opposition leaders also said the farm bill passed by the Bengal government in 2014 echoed the central laws and they, too, should be repealed in the interests of farmers.

On the other hand, both Mannan and Chakraborty asked Mamata if she was not convening the session because she was wary of her majority in the House following the recent defections from the ruling party to the BJP.

“We believe her own party legislators don’t have faith in the government anymore.

Let her call a session and check for herself if she has the numbers to stay in power,” Chakraborty later said in a video message.

The BJP construed the letter by the Left parties and the Congress as an attempt to help Trinamul.

“The Left and the Congress are playing from the sidelines these days. They are demanding a trust vote so that they can make Trinamul win and send a message to the people that the BJP will not win the ensuing polls,” BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

“I’m sure the people of Bengal will reject such a conspiracy,” he added.

Trinamul leader Tapas Roy said if the Left Front and the Congress wanted to prove their anti-BJP credentials, they should not take such steps that benefit the saffron camp.

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