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Wednesday, Mar 21, 2007
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National

National

Noisy scenes in West Bengal House

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: Noisy scenes prevailed in the West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday when the Opposition members reiterated their demand for the resignation and arrest of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee over the police firing and subsequent violence at Nandigram in Purbo Medinipur district, which claimed 14 lives on March 14.

Pandemonium broke out when Trinamool Congress members shouted slogans, clanging cymbals, in support of their demand. They then marched out of the House and staged a demonstration in the Assembly lobby, blowing plastic horns and carrying placards condemning the Chief Minister and the firing.

The Trinamool Congress boycotted the day's proceedings.

The Congress legislators also walked out of the House after Speaker H.A. Halim rejected a demand for discussions on the issue by the leader of the Congress Legislature Party Manas Bhuniya.

Mr. Halim pointed out that the matter was sub judice and under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation following a directive by the Calcutta High Court.

Under the rules a discussion could not be allowed, as the CBI report had not been submitted.

Later, Leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee alleged that cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had been inducted into the watch and ward staff of the Assembly. They had tried to assault the Trinamool Congress members.

Dr. Bhuniya, however, said that he was not aware of any such attack on Trinamool Congress MLAs. But, in a letter to the Prime Minister, the State Congress leadership has sought his intervention to ensure that there was no "undue interference" in the on-going investigation being carried out into the Nandigram firing by the CBI.

"The Centre should immediately intervene and dismiss the Government, which was responsible for the Nandigram killings", Mr. Chatterjee said.

There was also pandemonium in the Council Chamber of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation during budget discussions there when Trinamool Congress councillors, carrying placards, condemned the Government action at Nandigram.

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