Bengal speaker asks media to go out of assembly, relents later

Taking offence to media persons not rising up while he entered the West Bengal Assembly, Speaker Biman Banerjee on Thursday asked the media to leave the house but later relented following protests by the opposition Left Front.

Finding media persons continuing to sit even as the entire house stood up as he entered the assembly, the speaker said he could not allow the media inside as they have not maintained the decorum of the house.

Asserting that the conduct of the media persons was tantamount to showing disrespect to the chair, Banerjee said he has witnessed several journalists "sleeping" or "chatting" when the house was in session.

He subsequently took back the marching orders after Left Front members stood up in protest.

Reacting over the issue, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee later said the speaker's intention was not to interfere in the media's working but to ensure decorum and etiquette of the house is maintained.

Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra said the media enclosure did not constitute a part of the house, and as such, the speaker could not have asked them to go out.