Amid BJP protests, Bengal Governor leaves the Assembly without finishing his speech

On Friday afternoon, a commotion unfolded in the Bengal Assembly as governor Jagdeep Dhankhar began his speech - the opening address of the new Bengal Assembly session. Opposition BJP MLAs waved placards and yelled protests allegedly against post-election violence, but insiders said this was part of their strategy to ensure the governor didn't have to read his entire statement.

Dhankhar was compelled to halt his speech less than ten minutes in and was escorted to his vehicle by Speaker Biman Banerjee. At 3.30 p.m., the Assembly will reconvene.

Reportedly, the governor and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have been at odds for the majority of his three years in office. They have clashed over a variety of issues, notably (most recently) fake Covid vaccination programs, a 1996 hawala scam, and rioting following the Trinamool's election victory.

This conflict extended to the subject of Dhankhar's speech, with Trinamool leaders worried he might divert from the copy supplied to him by the state government in order to launch another attack.

It was stated that such divergence may elicit complaints from the ruling party. Meanwhile, BJP leaders were bracing for such a scenario, expecting Mr Dhankhar to resume his attacks on Ms Banerjee and the state's law and order situation. It was suggested that if he did not disclose this, they could protest.

According to the news agency, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari stated that they were forced to protest because there was no mention of post-poll violence in the copy distributed to MLAs.

The governor is not required to read what the government puts in their draught.

"Will I read anything in the address that is unconstitutional? Every address has to fit constitutional constraints and boundaries," Dhankhar said on Monday.

Yesterday, the Trinamool claimed linkages between the organisers of phoney vaccine camps in Kolkata, which the BJP has linked to the ruling party, and Dhankhar.

Mamata Banerjee criticised Dhankhar for being a "corrupt" man. "This governor's name was mentioned in the Jain Hawala case. However, it has been removed from the court. There is such a thing as a PIL. Sadly, the PIL is still pending. What exactly do you want to know? I'm sorry to say that he is a corrupt man," she stated.

For his end, the governor opted to highlight the violence and remind Banerjee of her obligation to control law and order in the state shortly after she took the oath for the third time in May.