TMC objects to allowing of repeated queries in Parliament on WB political violence

The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday objected to the issue of political violence in West Bengal being repeatedly raised in Parliament, claiming that it was in violation of the rules of the House and asked why was the state government being "targeted".

The party has written to the Lok Sabha speaker as well as the Rajya Sabha chairman over the issue.

In his letter to the Lok Sabha speaker, TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay claimed that Rule 41 (xiii) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha regarding conditions of admissibility of questions is being violated in the House.

Rule 41 (xiii) states that a "question shall not repeat in substance questions already answered".

"However, three questions have been allowed in the Lok Sabha regarding political violence during 2019 general elections... Ten advisories have gone to the state government in 10 days. This is butchering of the parliamentary democratic process. Why is the Bengal government being targeted in such manner? We strongly protest this and request you to kindly look into it," Bandyopadhyay said in his letter to the Speaker.

In the letter to the Rajya Sabha chairman, TMC's member to the Upper House Derek O'Brien said four questions on the topic had been allowed.

"The same question is not normally allowed to be raised on the floor of this august House again and again with minor variations. But the law-and-order situation in West Bengal has been raised multiple times in different forms during this session," he said.