Kolkata, 03 July (H.S.) : West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday assured opposition legislators of equal respect and greater democratic space, saying his government is committed to ensuring a more inclusive and transparent functioning of the Legislative Assembly.

Speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day orientation programme for newly elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), the Chief Minister said previous governments had failed to provide adequate democratic space to the opposition, and his administration was determined to change that.

Adhikari alleged that during the Left Front government's tenure from 1977 to 2011, most decisions were effectively taken from the ruling party's office rather than through institutional processes. Referring to the period from 2011 to 2026, he claimed that opposition legislators were denied due respect and were often sidelined by the administration.

He further alleged that Block Development Officers and police station officers did not even respond to calls from opposition MLAs during the previous regime, while only ruling party legislators were invited to official government programmes. Recalling his own experience as Leader of the Opposition for five years, Adhikari said he had not been invited to a single government function during that period.

The Chief Minister said his government had begun correcting this practice within its first two months in office. He stated that both ruling party and opposition MLAs had been invited to five administrative review meetings held over the past one-and-a-half months, and that the opposition had also been included in the budget process. He asserted that the state's development could only be achieved through the participation of all political parties.

Adhikari also criticised the functioning of the Legislative Assembly under both the previous Left Front and Trinamool Congress governments. He noted that voting in the Assembly was still conducted through paper ballots and stressed the need to introduce an electronic voting system. He also called for the modernisation of the Assembly's infrastructure.

Emphasising the importance of strengthening the role and public outreach of both treasury and opposition benches, the Chief Minister said the government's priority was to serve the people rather than any political party. He expressed confidence that with collective cooperation, West Bengal would once again move towards playing a leading role in the country's development.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh