Bengal LOP, Three Other BJP Legislators Suspended from Assembly for Month

KOLKATA:
West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay on Monday suspended four BJP legislators, including the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, from participation in the proceedings of the house for a month.

The three other BJP legislators who were suspended are fashion designer-turned-politician Agnimitra Paul, Bankim Ghosh, and Biswanath Karak.

On Monday, as the ongoing budget session of the Assembly resumed, Paul moved an adjournment motion seeking discussions on attacks on different Hindu religious festivals in the state, especially during the Saraswati Puja earlier this month.

Although the Speaker allowed her to read out the adjournment motion, he did not allow any discussion on this issue. This irked the BJP legislators present at the house. The party MLAs, including the Leader of the Opposition, came down to the well of the house, started protesting, and raised slogans.

Ruckus continued in the house for quite some time and later, the BJP legislators staged a walkout. They also came to the lawns of the Assembly and continued with their protests and slogans there.

The Speaker told the media persons that the four BJP legislators have been suspended for a month since they resorted to unruly behaviour on the floor of the house. “They tore apart the Assembly papers and then threw the pieces of the papers towards my chair,” he said.

Adhikari told media persons that he had been deliberately kept out of the house for a month to ensure that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could deliver her address on the Governor’s speech on Tuesday without any counter.

“She will come tomorrow and give her address without any opposition to its contents. That is exactly the intention of the treasury bench. So when the Leader of the Opposition will not be able to be present in the house, then all the party legislators will boycott the proceedings of the house during that period,” he said.

Adhikari also asserted that on Tuesday while the Chief Minister will be addressing the house, he will be delivering his address on this issue live through his social media page.

“In all probability, the Chief Minister’s speech on Tuesday will be telecast live from the Assembly by the authorities. At that point in time, the members of BJP’s legislative team will assemble in front of the Assembly and from there I will be delivering my address live through my social media page,” he said.