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Trinamool MLAs to boycott Assembly

Special Correspondent

Chief Minister’s remarks “insulting” to the peasants of Singur and Nandigram
“Boycott” till remarks are withdrawn and Nandigram culprits are brought to book

KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress leadership announced here on Friday a “boycott” of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as well as of the House for the remainder of the on-going Budget session in the West Bengal Assembly.

This is in protest against what they called the “arrogant attitude” of the Chief Minister evident during his address to the House on Thursday.

His remarks “were insulting to the peasants of Singur and Nandigram,” Leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee said.

The “boycott” of the Chief Minister will continue till he “withdraws his remarks and ensures that the culprits responsible for the violence at Nandigram are brought to book”, Mr. Chatterjee told The Hindu.

Talks with State

Mr. Bhattacharjee had, while replying to discussions on the demand for budgetary grants for the Home Department, urged the Opposition leaders to “put their fears behind them” and come forward for talks with the State Government on their reservations over the State’s industrialisation policies.

All Trinamool Congress MLAs will boycott programmes the Chief Minister attends and “have been debarred from even contacting him,” Mr. Chatterjee said. Nor would they be participating in business inside the House. But, they would gather at the Assembly lobbies to express their protests during the course of the Budget session, he added.

Withdraw remarks

The Trinamool Congress Legislative Party demanded that Mr. Bhattacharjee withdraw his “derogatory remarks” against the party’s members, particularly the Leader of the Opposition.

Earlier the Trinamool Congress members walked out of the House demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister as he had failed to do justice to the grievances of the people of Singur and Nandigram. They carried with them posters and shouted slogans in support of their demand.

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