Left, Congress MLAs stage walk-out from Bengal assembly

KOLKATA: Both the Opposition Left Front and Congress today staged a walk out from the West Bengal assembly on different issues.

After the end of the question hour, CPI(M) member and Leader of the Opposition Surjya Kant Mishra demanded the membership of Ranigunj Trinamool Congress MLA Sohrab Ali from the assembly be disqualified as he was convicted by a Asansol court on charges of stealing railway iron scrap.

Mishra, citing the instance of Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha who was also disqualified as an MLA after being convicted by a Karnataka court in disproportionate assets case, said that the Speaker should also follow suit and disqualify Ali's membership.

Speaker Biman Banerjee said that he did not receive any official communication about the conviction of Ali, adding that he would take a decision once he received it.

To this, the CPI(M) and other Left front members shouted slogans inside the house and rushed to well.

Shortly after they staged a walk out.

Earlier, Congress member Mohd Sohrab demanded that the business of the house should be adjourned and instead discussion should be held on the killing of the college student of Sabong in August, who belonged to Chattra Parishad.

He also demanded that a CBI inquiry be ordered into the incident.

The Speaker, while refusing to adjourn the house, said that Sohrab's statement had been recorded and business should be held as usual.

The Congress members staged a protest against this and walked out from the house for the day.