CPI(M) today staged a walkout from Assembly protesting against the Speaker disallowing party leader Sujan Chakraborty from reading out a notice. (File photo)
CPI(M) today staged a walkout protesting against the Speaker disallowing party leader Sujan Chakraborty from reading out a notice relating to the state pay commission and price rise, while Congress showed solidarity but stayed back.
At the start of the Zero Hour, Leader of the Opposition and Congress legislator Abdul Mannan speaking on similar issues said after the announcement of Union Cabinet's acceptance of the 7th Pay Commission by the Centre yesterday, the difference in salaries between the state and central government employees had become "enormous".
He wanted to know from the ruling party what steps were being taken by the chief minister and finance minister to give relief to the state employees.
To this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said the state government was sitting on a debt burden of Rs 2.13 lakh crore but the employees were being paid on time.
Mr Chatterjee said he would draw the attention of both the chief minister and finance minister on the issue and in spite of the gap, the state government had brought the work culture which was ruined by the Left government.
Regarding payment of balance DA, he said that it was a sensitive issue.
CPI(M) member Sujan Chakraborty said despite serving notice to the Speaker, he was not allowed to speak and the staged the walkout.
Mr Chatterjee later told Mr Mannan that it had been improper of him to discuss the business advisory (BA) proceedings to the media and the sanctity of such meets had been vilified by it.
He also requested Mr Mannan to attend the BA meetings.
Speaker Biman Banerjee, who is also the chairman of the BA committee, reprimanded Mr Mannan for making public its discussions and asked the Congress leader to meet him in his chamber to attend the BA panel meet today.
Later, Mr Mannan told reporters that the manner in which CPI(M) was disallowed to speak on the issue was "highly undemocratic".
By allowing him to speak and not CPI-M, the ruling party was trying to create a wedge between the two parties, Mr Mannan said, adding the Left party and Congress would now be more watchful and vouched for better floor coordination.