Opposition boycott West Bengal assembly platinum jubilee closing ceremony

KOLKATA: Congress and Left parties boycotted the closing ceremony of the platinum jubilee of West Bengal assembly which led Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to slam the Opposition and decry the incident as against courtesy and democracy.

"Some members are absent. It doesn't look good," Banerjee said in her address.

"In a democracy, one party may come (to power) and one party may go, but above all there is courtesy. Let God forgive them," she said.

Dubbing the Opposition move as being against democracy, she said there should be constructive discussion.

"They (Opposition) should keep their minds open, only carrying placards (in the House) for publicity will not do".

Recalling her days as an MP, Banerjee said she used to attend Parliament like a school student.

"It is very important to attend the House. It is an important platform to learn and discuss issues."

There should be unanimity on some issues, she said adding when she went abroad, she didn't talk about her party.

"When people ask me what is your party's take on external affairs, I say government's policy is our party's policy. The party's interest cannot be more important than the government's interest," Banerjee said.

Describing the occasion as a glorious one in the history of Indian democracy, Governor M K Narayanan said, "I feel sad that many members of the Opposition are not here today."

SUCI and SP MLAs have joined the celebration. The ceremony, which will be attended by President Pranab Mukherjee and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar later in the week, marked the conclusion of the platinum jubilee celebration, which began in August, last year.