Dengue: Congress, Left MLAs boycott house for the day

The opposition Congress and the Left Front today boycotted the second half of the West Bengal Assembly session after their demand for a discussion on dengue situation in the state was not allowed.
The Congress MLAs boycotted the House for the day after their demand was rejected while the Left Front staged a walkout at the same time and did not return to the House at the second half.
Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan and Congress MLAs demanded a discussion in the Assembly on the Dengue issue. Left legislators also supported the demand.
When the demand was rejected, MLAs of both the Congress and the Left Front came down to the well of the House and shouted slogans against the government.

They carried placards and mosquito net accusing the government of failing to control spreading of the disease.
"Why is the state government afraid of conducting a discussion in the Assembly? They are trying to suppress the facts. If we are not allowed to conduct a discussion on the issue, we will continue our protest. We have boycotted the house for the day," Mannan said.

Congress Chief whip Manoj Chakraborty said it was done as a mark of protest as opposition members are not allowed to speak in the House.
CPI(M) MLA Tanmoy Bhattacharya said the minister of state for health has made a statement on the issue but a proper discussion was not allowed.

This is not acceptable, he said.
The BJP, however, did not take part in the protest by the Congress and the Left Front and said the two parties are not seen on the road protesting on this issue.
"If there is a discussion, we will take part in it. The Congress and the Left Front only stage protest in Assembly but the BJP is on the streets protesting on this issue. We have raised awareness on this issue," state BJP president and MLA Dilip Ghosh said.