Kolkata: Chakdah MLA Bankim Ghosh on Friday called up state leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari to explain his stance on frequent calls to stage walkouts from the assembly. Ghosh had on Thursday asked the party to restrategise and refrain from "boycotts at the drop of a hat".
Ghosh, who had been suspended by the speaker in Feb, clarified to Adhikari that it was Biman Banerjee's decision that had kept him out of the assembly session. "I was suspended from the assembly repeatedly in the past four years. Our opinion is never recorded, and Trinamool legislators intimidate us if we speak against govt. This has to be stopped, and a healthy atmosphere has to be restored inside the House," he said.
BJP's chief whip in the assembly, Shankar Ghosh, however, ruled out any change in the party's strategy. Claiming the Chakdah MLA's statement was being taken out of context, he said: "He himself was suspended from the assembly session. How can we even speak if we are not allowed to attend these sessions? I raised questions on a number of issues inside the House. But to begin with, the assembly needs to restore a democratic environment at first."