Guv cuts short speech at 4.5 mins, sparks war of words

Kolkata: Governor CV Ananda Bose delivered a truncated four-and-a-half-minute speech ahead of the Bengal budget session, scaling down the pitch that had previously put the Bengal govt and Raj Bhavan at loggerheads over multiple issues.Though Bose may have avoided the controversies surrounding the governors' address in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, his short speech did not stop fiery exchanges in the assembly between Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari.Bose read out portions of the address highlighting law and order, including references to Kolkata being among the safest cities in the country. In a rare display of cordiality, Bose was seen briefly holding hands and speaking with Banerjee after his address. As he exited the House, BJP legislators sarcastically said, "Well done." During a heated discussion, Banerjee hit out at the BJP benches. "We will win in court and we will win the vote as well. Don't even imagine winning Bengal," she said. "You are already in trouble in Delhi. Everyone can see the condition of the so-called double-engine govt. You were zero, you are zero and you will remain zero. Stay well, stay healthy, but remember you will lose many seats," Banerjee added.The CM's remarks came amid repeated interruptions and counter-allegations from Adhikari, who alleged that Bose deliberately curtailed his address to avoid reading out sections critical of the Union govt. Adhikari claimed the governor read the speech for barely 4.5 minutes and stopped before reaching references such as the Ghatal Master Plan.Responding to the charge, Banerjee said it was part of legislative convention for the governor to read the opening portions of the address and formally lay the document in the House. Looking directly at Adhikari, she added: "People will point at you and say — you don't know anything at all. Just keep watching; many will lose their seats this time."The assembly debate soon shifted to the contentious issue of infiltration. Adhikari alleged that cross-border infiltration was altering the state's demographic.Banerjee strongly rejected the charge, asserting that her govt cooperated extensively with central agencies. "We gave land to all central govt bodies like SAIL, Railways. Finish the work on the land already allotted, then we will give more. I am not even mentioning how much land we gave," she said. Questioning BJP's claims, she asked: "Have you found even one Rohingya?"