Close on the heels of the Central team’s visit to West Bengal, Trinamool Congress members disrupted Lok Sabha proceedings on Thursday over CPM “dictatorship”, forcing the Speaker to abruptly adjourn the House ahead of lunch recess.

As Sudeep Bandyopadhyay of Trinamool sought to speak during Zero Hour, Speaker Meira Kumar disallowed him pointing out that she had not received any notice from him. “I don’t know what it is,” she added. Trinamool members continued to press for an opportunity to speak and the Speaker called the name of SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.

A little while later, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi could be seen ascertaining something from Minister for Parliamentary Affairs V Narayanasamy. Thereafter, she was noticed directing him towards Railways Minister seated in the row behind her.

After a quick word with the Trinamool chief, Narayanasamy walked up to the Secretary-General, who in turn, got up to tell something to the Speaker.

Irrespective of all of this, Meira Kumar stuck to her stand: “I have not received any notice.” This meant no chance for Trinamool members to speak. Just about then, Mamata walked up to the Trinamool benches and started writing something.

As soon as she returned to her seat, Bandyopadhyay stood up again demanding that he be allowed to speak. Lending him full support, his party colleagues started shouting aloud: “Bengal mein CPM ka tanashahi nahin chalega. (CPM dictatorship in

Bengal won’t be tolerated).” Two Trinamool members, Kalyan Banerjee and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, came in to the well too. Mamata stepped in to control the situation and could be seen persuading them to return to their seats. In the meanwhile, Meira Kumar adjourned the House.

This, however, failed to deter Mamata. With

Rahul Gandhi within an earshot distance, she turned to Narayanasamy and said that 500 of her party

members had died in violence during the past three months. “We want justice,” she screamed. Having said this, she went off with her party members.

Trinamool members resumed their protest when the House met again. This time around, they had to contend with opposition from the CPM. The order was restored only after Narayanasamy assured Trinamool members that their sentiments had been conveyed to Home Minister P Chidambaram. Killings of people “are a matter of concern and justice will be done”, he said.

Didi to meet PM today
A Trinamool delegation led my party chief Mamata Banerjee will meet Prime Minister at 12 noon tomorrow to submit a 148-page document titled “Murder of Democracy” in West Bengal, party chief whip Sudip Bandopadhyay said.

CPM to meet PM with ‘proof’ of Trinamool-Maoist ‘nexus’
New Delhi: Left parties will present “evidence” of the “nexus” between the Maoists and the Trinamool Congress when they meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here soon, a senior CPM leader has said.

“We have requested for time (to meet Singh). We will be submitting evidence, including CDs of meetings held jointly by Maoists and the Trinamool Congress, when we meet the Prime Minister,” CPM leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.

While the Prime Minister has described Maoists as the gravest threat to internal security, “some members of his Cabinet are openly patronising and protecting the Maoists,” he said, adding there were records of even public meetings addressed jointly by Maoist leaders and those of the Trinamool. Yechury said there were also public statements by prominent Maoist leaders about “the help and support they received from the Trinamool” and added they would request the Prime Minister to restrain his ministers in this regard.

Asked what he meant by “restraining” them, he said, “We will leave that to his conscience as to how he deals with this contradiction in his Cabinet.”