Opposition may boycott Assembly platinum jubilee celebration

Amidst likely boycott by the Left parties and the Congress, the three-day closing ceremony of the platinum jubilee celebration of West Bengal Assembly will commence here tomorrow even as the Assembly Speaker urged the Opposition to review their decision.
The ceremony, to be attended by President Pranab Mukherjee and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, marks the conclusion of the platinum jubilee celebration, which began in August, last year.
While the Lok Sabha Speaker would attend the inaugural programme tomorrow, the President would address the valedictory session on December 6.
The Left Front is all set to boycott the ceremony charging the ruling Trinamool Congress with misbehaving with opposition MLAs on the floor of the House and destroying the democratic set-up in the state.

"Tomorrow all MLAs of the four Left parties are going to boycott the platinum jubilee celebration," a Forward Bloc leader who attended today's Left Front meeting, told PTI.
"The LF Legislature Party will meet the Governor tomorrow and submit a memorandum stating their concerns, the misbehaviour of ruling MLAs and destruction of democratic set up. The Left legislature party will boycott the celebrations," RSP state secretary Khisti Goswami told PTI.

A sharp division within the Left Front had earlier surfaced after the CPI and RSP advocated in favour of joining the celebration and utilise the three-day special session to voice the Opposition's concerns in the House, but the CPI(M) and Forward Bloc differed.

The matter was slated to be decided in today's LF meeting today.
"If they (Left Legislature Party) want to talk to me, I am ready. But it will be really unfortunate if they decide to boycott the programme," Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee said.