Six MLAs of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, were suspended from the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Monday for staging protests and demanding a statement by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the Sandeshkhali issue in the House.
Along with Mr. Adhikari, the other BJP MLAs suspended are Agnimitra Paul, Mihir Goswami, Bankim Ghosh, Tapasi Mondal and Shankar Ghosh for the remaining part of the current session or 30 days, whichever is earlier. This is the third time that the Leader of Opposition has been suspended from the proceedings in the House since 2021.
At the start of the House proceedings on Monday, the BJP MLAs descended into the well of the House, tore papers and started raising slogans.
The motion for suspension of the MLAs was moved by Minister of Parliament Affairs Sobhan Deb Chattopadhyay and it was placed before the House by Speaker Biman Banerjee. The Speaker put the motion to vote, which was passed by voice votes.
No decorum
The Minister said that the BJP legislators were not maintaining decorum and discipline of the House, and tried to disrupt the proceedings.
Protests persisted in Sandeshkhali for the fifth consecutive day, with a significant number of women taking to the streets, demanding the arrest of Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shajahan, who has been absconding since last month. The accusations include forcefully capturing land and molestation by Trinamool members.
