TMC, BJP spar in Bengal Assembly over minorities commission Bill
Kabir, a former IPS officer, accused the BJP-led Centre of 'discriminating against minorities, particularly Muslims,' citing legislations like the Waqf (Amendment) Act and alleging 'vigilantism over food, dress, and religious practices' in BJP-ruled states.
During the debate, TMC Debra MLA Humayun Kabir praised the Mamata Banerjee-led government for its 'slew of pro-minority development measures' through the Minorities Commission.
Kolkata, Jun 13 (PTI) The West Bengal Assembly on Friday witnessed heated verbal exchanges between ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs during a discussion on the West Bengal Minorities Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025, presented by Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
His remarks, especially references to 'Modi acolytes,' triggered strong protests from BJP members.
Chief Whip Shankar Ghosh demanded that Kabir's comments be expunged, claiming they were derogatory and unparliamentary.
Kabir, however, denied having made any objectionable remarks, saying, 'I did not make any derogatory references to anyone.' Responding during her wrap-up of the debate, Minister of State for Finance, Land and Land Reforms Chandrima Bhattacharya said, 'Many abusive and crude comments are regularly made by BJP leaders in public.' Referring to a viral video, she added, 'A senior BJP leader was seen hurling a chappal at a turbaned police officer on Thursday. BJP should not lecture others about using objectionable words.' Speaker Biman Banerjee, when approached by reporters in his Assembly chamber, said, 'I will examine the comments made by Kabir before responding to the BJP's demand to expunge.' On the video referenced by Bhattacharya, he told PTI, 'The video turned out to be true. I fact-checked its veracity.' During the debate, BJP's Shankar Ghosh also commented on the new vice-chairman's post being proposed under the amended Act.
'The post should be filled by a person belonging to a linguistic minority, and not by a political appointee, but rather an eminent public figure who can rise above partisan politics,' Ghosh said.
Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Naushad Siddique, while supporting the Bill in principle, said the Minorities Commission 'has not lived up to expectations.' He questioned why the Commission 'does not lodge suo motu complaints' when incidents against minorities are reported.
Citing a recent incident in Behala where a Muslim woman was allegedly humiliated, Siddique claimed, 'Neither the council nor police acted until my organisation intervened and filed a complaint.' The Speaker asked Siddique to submit documentary proof of the incident, to which the Bhangar MLA responded, 'I will provide evidence soon.' Bhattacharya challenged Siddique, asking, 'How many complaints has your organisation filed so far? You must also bring such incidents to the notice of the Commission.' She added, 'The Commission cannot be equated with a police station, but any complaint of wrongdoing — especially against women from minority communities — will be looked into seriously.' Bhattacharya clarified that the Commission covers 'six religious and seven linguistic minority communities,' and said, 'We do not follow any religiously divisive policy in any of our social welfare funds.' She assured that the vice-chairman, when nominated, 'will be an eminent public figure from a minority community, not an active politician,' in line with the suggestion made by Ghosh.
The Amendment Bill empowers the state to accord minority status to religious, linguistic, and ethnic groups and proposes to evaluate the implementation of welfare schemes and monitor development progress of minorities.
Earlier, Ghosh also raised the issue of damage to a heritage house in Bangladesh associated with Rabindranath Tagore.
Responding, Bhattacharya said, 'Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already drawn the Prime Minister's attention to the matter and urged him to take it up with the Bangladesh government.' 'Since this is an international issue, the state will support whatever stand the Centre formulates,' she added, stressing that the Bengal government 'has taken every step to preserve and beautify the birthplace and residences of luminaries like Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam located in our state.' PTI SUS MNB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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