BJP MLAs walk out of Assembly protesting Bengal minister's 'need to spread Islam’ remark

Kolkata, July 31 (IANS) BJP legislators staged a walkout from the West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday as soon as Minister for Municipal Affairs & Urban Development, Firhad Hakim, rose to speak on the eighth day of the Monsoon Session.

The Chief Whip of BJP’s legislative party, Shankar Ghosh, said a decision was taken earlier that the party MLAs will boycott any speech by Hakim as a mark of protest against the latter's comment at a recent event that there is a “need to spread Islam among non-Muslims”.

On July 26, the BJP legislators staged a similar walkout after Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay rejected an adjournment motion moved by the leader of the opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, demanding the termination of Hakim as an MLA for his remark.

“Boycotting his speech on the floor of the House is the decision of our party. We will reconsider our decision only after he (Hakim) withdraws his remark made at a public gathering,” said Ghosh.

The BJP legislators returned to the House only after Hakim, who's also the Kolkata Mayor, completed his speech.

The Speaker, meanwhile, said that such developments are not suitable for the sanctity of the Assembly as he made a plea to the BJP’s legislative team to reconsider its decision.

Hakim later told mediapersons, "I have always been a secular person, and continue to be so. What I said at a religious gathering cannot be the subject of discussion in the Assembly. The BJP always tries such divisive tactics.”

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