In Bihar Assembly, Left MLAs protest Israel’s attacks and demand condolences for Palestine victims, Speaker says no to it

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) was stumped by the demand of CPI(ML), its ally in the government.

Patna | November 7, 2023 12:16 PM IST

2 min read

The opening day of Bihar Legislative Assembly's Winter Session was adjourned after Left parties, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), demanded the House to also pay homage to those killed in Palestine during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. (Twitter/@CPIMLBIHAR)

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The opening day of Bihar Legislative Assembly’s Winter Session was adjourned Monday after Left parties, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), demanded the House to also pay homage to those killed in Palestine during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary, however, did not allow it, saying that it was not as per precedence. As the Left parties, supported by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s (AIMIM) lone MLA Akhtarul Iman, protested, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day amidst the ruckus.
https://twitter.com/CPIMLBIHAR/status/1721406135595581843
When the House observed a one-minute silence for those public representatives who had died recently, CPI (ML) MLA Mehboob Alam said: “As so many people, including children, have died in Palestine, the House should also mourn them”.

Speaker Choudhary replied. “It is against our precedence. We cannot allow it.” The Left MLAs started shouting slogans. Reportedly, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav were surprised by the demand of CPI (ML), one of their allies in the government.

Just before the beginning of the Assembly session, CPI (ML) MLAs protested against Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip with placards reading messages such as “stop mortgaging foreign policy of India before Israel-US axis” and “stop massacre in Palestine”.
https://twitter.com/CPIMLBIHAR/status/1721405425382486020
Mehboob Alam, who led the protest, told reporters outside the Assembly: “We want to remind the central government of former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee’s stand on the Israel-Palestine conflict. India has been traditionally in favour of Palestine. There was nothing wrong in our demand for the House to mourn the deaths of innocent people in Palestine”.

Janata Dal (United) MLA Sanjeev Kumar, however, said: “We cannot accept the behaviour of our Left allies. They should also remember atrocities committed by Palestinians in Israel. The government should lodge cases against them. Even if they (Left parties) are our allies, we would object to their improper stand”.

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Bihar Israel Hamas conflict