Privilege notice against Leader of Opposition in WB Assembly

A privilege notice was today served in the West Bengal Assembly against the Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra accusing him of misleading the House by saying his question was changed by the Speaker without consulting him.

The notice also raised questions about Mishra's conduct in the House.

Accusing Mishra of breach of privilege in the House, Trinamool Congress member Shilbhadra Dutta said the Speaker has jurisdiction in this regard and the Leader of Opposition was intentionally spreading canards against him.

On this, Speaker Biman Banerjee said he would look into the matter and give his decision later.

Mishra later on told reporters if there was any breach of privilege, it was not by him, but by the state Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim, who misled the House by saying Governor M K Narayanan had returned the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2011 passed by them (erstwhile LF government) without giving his assent.

With the Bill, the LF government named the New Town as Jyoti Basu Nagar, after the name of the state's longest serving Chief Minister.

On November 26, the Trinamool Congress government withdrew the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2011 dropping the name of Jyoti Basu despite protests by the LF members and passed the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2013 in the House, after the opposition LF staged a walk out from the House.

Protesting against it, the LF members met Governor M K Narayanan yesterday, who reportedly told them he was not aware of it.

The treasury bench would not be able to gag the Opposition's voice and their protests demanding further amendments to the already amended Bill would continue, Mishra added.