Kolkata, 10 September (H.S.): The West Bengal Assembly on Thursday passed a condolence resolution on the death of former Deputy Speaker, former minister and noted academic Dr. Ashis Kumar Banerjee. During the discussion, legislators from both the treasury and opposition benches recalled their long association with the former legislator and shared their experiences of working with him. References were also made to his alleged ‘last note’, claims of political pressure and questions surrounding his unnatural death.

Banerjee, a five-time Trinamool Congress MLA from the Rampurhat Assembly constituency, died on August 16 at the age of 75. He was elected Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly in 2021. A former Associate Professor in the Bengali department of Rampurhat College, Banerjee was widely known for his gentle, soft-spoken and scholarly personality.

Minister Tapas Roy, while recalling his association with Banerjee, said the two had known each other for nearly four and a half decades. He said their association dated back to before Banerjee became an MLA and that they later worked together in the Assembly. Describing him as humble, polite, soft-spoken and a gentleman, Roy said a person should not be branded a criminal merely because he had held a particular position in a committee or under a government. Based on his personal knowledge, Roy said Banerjee was a person of good character.

Opposition leader Ritabrata Banerjee recalled his last telephone conversation with Ashis Banerjee. He said Banerjee had called him on the evening of August 14, two days before his death. According to Ritabrata, the first couple of minutes of the conversation were about politics, after which they discussed books and various other subjects.

Ritabrata also referred to the note allegedly left behind by Ashis Banerjee, saying it contained a reference to having remained silent despite witnessing injustice and not having been able to show courage. He paid tribute to the former Deputy Speaker by quoting lines from the works of Bengali poet Jibanananda Das.

Ballygunge MLA Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay also expressed grief over Banerjee’s death. He said that despite knowing him for a long time, he had never heard of any criminal or unethical conduct involving him. Referring to reports that Banerjee had allegedly been threatened shortly before his death, Chattopadhyay said he had learnt about the matter through the media and was not personally aware of the nature or authenticity of the alleged threat. However, he said the questions surrounding Banerjee’s death required an impartial inquiry.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shankar Ghosh recalled working with Banerjee during the previous Assembly. He said he had seen Banerjee discharge his responsibilities as Deputy Speaker and had also worked with him when he was Chairman of the Privileges Committee.

Ghosh said Banerjee’s conduct, manner of speaking and personal interests were distinctive and stood apart from the prevailing political atmosphere of the time. Referring to statements attributed to Banerjee about being compelled to remain silent despite witnessing injustice, Ghosh said his sudden death had raised several serious questions before the political establishment. He stressed the need for collective efforts to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui also praised Banerjee’s conduct as a legislator. He said that despite political differences, Banerjee maintained a cordial relationship and discussed various issues with him. Siddiqui said Banerjee preferred to remain away from the limelight and was generally a reserved person. He also called for an impartial inquiry into the questions surrounding his unnatural death.

During the condolence resolution, legislators remembered Banerjee not only for his political role but also for his contribution as an educator and for his courteous personality. The House later observed a minute’s silence in memory of the former MLA and academic.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh