West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee thanked the Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, in the Assembly for bringing a motion against any attempt at the division of the state.
The treasury benches brought the motion on the 11th day of the ongoing monsoon session. Both the chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari participated effectively in the debate.
In the session, Chief Minister Banerjee reached out to the opposition BJP for joining hands against the alleged forces that want to fragment West Bengal. The chief minister thanked Adhikari for supporting the motion and also lauded him for opposing any move for the division of the state.
This was followed by a motion moved by the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, and a debate. Adhikari said that no BJP member had demanded the division of West Bengal, citing that the motion was a partisan document with a misquoting of views.
Adhikari suggested a clause in the motion for a "united approach for the development of undivided West Bengal." Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay told Adhikari that he could have said it through an amendment.
The proposal was further supported by the Chief Minister herself. She reiterated her commitment to a united West Bengal and asked the Parliamentary Affairs Minister to add Adhikari's suggestion in the motion. With a firm belief in federal democracy and cooperation between the state and Union governments, it was finally adopted unanimously by both the ruling and opposition members of the Assembly.
Political analysts view this gesture of cooperation between the treasury and opposition benches as a rare development, particularly because BJP legislators have frequently been protesting and walking out recently.
The motion was triggered by BJP Lok Sabha member Nishikant Dubey's controversial proposal seeking to carve out a separate Union Territory consisting of parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Malda and Murshidabad districts in West Bengal. The proposal was vehemently opposed by the Trinamool Congress, and against such division of the state, the motion was brought in this backdrop.
Read also | Jaya Bachchan Raises Concerns Over Inclusion of 'Amitabh' in Her Official Name
Read also | Om Birla Cautions MPs Against Using House for Public Relations
