Left Front protests nixing motion on crimes against women

Kolkata, Sep 24 (IANS) Holding aloft posters and shouting slogans, Left Front legislators in the West Bengal assembly Monday gathered near the speaker’s podium to protest the speaker disallowing an adjournment motion on rising number of crimes against women.

Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra and other Left Front lawmakers moved the motion, which Speaker Biman Banerjee refused to allow, saying the issue did not demand immediate attention. However, he let Mishra read it in the house.

Soon after, there were uproarious scenes as LF members left their seats and encircled the speaker’s podium.

The opposition continued to protest for several minutes, but the speaker continued with the scheduled business.

Later, speaking to reporters, Mishra lashed out at the government. “The state government is not willing to listen to criticism. It is not open to any discussions on contentious issues.”

He said it was unprecedented that the speaker has not allowed a single adjournment motion in the house since the new government took charge one and a half years back.

“We have raised issues like farmer suicides, law and order deterioration and growing atrocities on women. But the government just refused to consider them important for discussions,” he said.

Mishra said media reports have brought to the fore around 100 incidents of rape since February.

Senior Communist Party of India-Marxist legislator Abdur Rezzak Mollah claimed that during the Trinamool govenment’s tenure, the number of crimes reported against women has outstripped those reported in 34 years of Left front rule.

IANS 2012-09-24 22:05:53