West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari and three BJP MLAs Agnimitra Paul, Biswanath Karak and Bankim Chandra Ghosh were suspended from the State Assembly for the rest of the session for misconduct to the Chair of the Speaker. Following the suspension, the BJP MLAs walked out of the state assembly to protest against the TMC government over the Saraswati Puja issue.
BJP leader Agnimitra Paul said, “Mamata Banerjee’s government is anti-Hindu. Everyone knows it. The Hindus are being cornered in West Bengal. We are witnessing that at various places in the state, jihadis are disrupting Saraswati Puja. They are not letting us perform our puja.”
She remorsed that they had to go to the court for every minute thing. Does it make sense to go to the court for a mere puja ritual, said Paul, adding so, we have brought an Adjournment Motion in the Assembly.
Speaker Biman Banerjee suspended Agnimitra Paul, Bankim Ghosh and Biswanath Karak, apart from Adhikari, till the end of this session in the West Bengal assembly or for 30 days, whichever is earlier, after they came down to the well of the House, tore up business papers and threw those away.
The BJP members, led by Adhikari, went to the well of the House raising slogans after the Speaker refused to hold a discussion on an adjournment motion brought by Paul.
BJP MLAs stage a walkout
The BJP MLAs thereafter staged a walkout from the House. The adjournment motion was brought by the BJP to highlight alleged intimidation at some places in the state over organising Saraswati Puja earlier this month.
Paul later told reporters outside the assembly that Saraswati Puja had to be held at some places in the state with police protection, including a law college in Kolkata with orders from the Calcutta High Court.
She said the walkout by the BJP MLAs was to protest the Speaker’s refusal to a discussion on the adjournment motion brought by her and some other party legislators.
The Speaker, while disallowing the discussion in the House, allowed one BJP MLA to read out the motion. After Paul read out the motion in the House, the BJP MLAs started protesting, raising slogans and holding placards, claiming appeasement by ruling TMC for electoral gains.