West Bengal, 22 May (H.S.): A fresh controversy erupted in the West Bengal Assembly on Thursday after Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators staged a protest inside the premises over the delay in formally recognising the Leader of Opposition and the continued locking of the designated chamber.

Around 18 TMC MLAs sat on a dharna in the Assembly lobby in front of the locked room meant for the Leader of Opposition, escalating the political standoff.

The party had earlier issued a warning that it would protest if Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay was not formally recognised as Leader of Opposition and allotted the designated office room. A deadline till 12 noon was also set, after which the legislators began their sit-in protest.

The issue stems from procedural disagreements over the appointment. Assembly Speaker Radhindranath Basu had reportedly sought a formal resolution to recognise Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition. Following internal discussions chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the TMC submitted a proposal in the Assembly.

However, the recognition has still not been finalised, leading to rising tensions within the Assembly premises.

Earlier, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had written to the Speaker seeking Chattopadhyay’s formal recognition. The Assembly Secretariat, however, rejected the communication, stating that only an official resolution from the legislative party, along with proper procedural compliance, would be accepted.

Subsequently, the TMC legislature party elected Chattopadhyay as its Leader of Opposition. Despite this, he has alleged that formal recognition has not been granted and that his designated chamber remains locked.

He further claimed that the Speaker was demanding signatures of 80 TMC MLAs, which he argued was not required under existing rules.

The Assembly Secretariat, meanwhile, maintained that due procedure had not been followed and that necessary documentation, including proof of support, had not been properly submitted.

TMC has warned that the protest will continue if the issue remains unresolved and the room continues to remain locked.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey