Agartala, Sep 04, 2024, TRIPURA TIMES Desk

Agartala, Sept 04: A social media post by Minister Sudhangshu Das regarding recent attacks on Hindu temples and idols stormed the Tripura Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, the first day of its Monsoon Session.

The CPM and Congress staged protests in the well before three Congress MLAs- Sudip Roy Barman, Gopal Roy and Birajit Sinha walked out of the assembly.

Without referring to any specific instance, in his September 1 Facebook post, which the minister subsequently removed, said: “In my view, the Hindus have no moral right to offer puja to Hindu gods and goddesses because those people who can’t protect their temples and gods, do not deserve to organise prayers or offer puja.”

He referred to the recent incidents of defacement of Kali Idol at Koitorabari in West Tripura district and attack on a temple at Bishalgarh.

During the reference period, the opposition Congress and the CPI-M MLAs raised the issue of the minister’s recent post on social media.

Former Minister and Congress MLA Birajit Sinha raising the issue in the house sought the minister’s statement and apology.

Sinha was supported by his party colleagues and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury.

Terming the Minister’s social media posts as ‘hate speech’, former Minister Roy Barman criticised him and said: “A minister took an oath of office and secrecy as per the Constitutional mandate and he cannot make such a post in a public platform.”

Parliamentary Affairs and Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sushanta Chowdhury and other BJP MLAs defended Minister Sudhangshu Das.

Das due to the ruckus, however, could not complete his clarification in favour of his Facebook post.

Ruling BJP members during the arguments, referred to the series of incidents during the Partition of the country and since before the Independence of India, ‘Great Bengal Killing’, Noakhali Riots, Kashmiri pandits’ exodus from Jammu and Kashmir and attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and exodus of people from the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh during and after 1971.

Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen, however, rejected the opposition MLAs’ demand to seek an apology from Minister Sudhangshu Das.

Meanwhile, the 13th Tripura Legislative Assembly's monsoon session will continue till September 6.

This session is the first for Deepak Majumdar, who represents the Ramnagar constituency as a BJP MLA. Majumdar also serves as the Mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation.

Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, who was in Delhi to attend signing of an agreement between Central, State Governments and representatives of NLFT-IPFT, banned insurgent outfits, on Wednesday, missed the first day of the session.