West Bengal: Senior BJP leader and LoP Suvendu Adhikari was suspended for the entire winter session of the West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday, following allegations of making objectionable remarks against Speaker Biman Banerjee and creating a ruckus in the House.
Deputy Chief Whip Tapas Roy had proposed the motion for his suspension for misbehaving with the speaker inside the house.
Speaking after Adhikari was suspended from the Assembly, West Bengal Parliamentary Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay said, "...I have never seen anything like this... It is a matter of shame that a LoP talks like this with the Speaker...For that, it was done..."
The suspension transpired during a discussion on 'Constitution Day' in the state assembly.
During the deliberation on "how the Constitution of the country was under threat", BJP MLA Sankar Ghosh questioned the legitimacy of legislators who defected from the saffron party but retained their posts without resigning from the Assembly.
The Speaker instructed the removal of Ghosh's statement from the assembly records, prompting BJP MLAs, led by Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition, to descend to the well of the House and chant slogans against Banerjee.
The BJP legislature party denounced the Speaker's decision as "unconstitutional" and staged a walk-out from the House.
Subsequently, TMC MLA Tapas Ray moved a motion against Adhikari, demanding his suspension from the House, a request to which the Speaker acceded.
State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay commented, "Suvendu Adhikari has been suspended for the entire winter session for using objectionable words and gestures towards the Speaker's Chair. The BJP legislature party is never interested in any discussion. They are only interested in creating a ruckus in the assembly."
Adhikari, in response, accused the Speaker and the ruling party of acting unconstitutionally.
"A party which is leading the state is functioning most unconstitutionally, and holding a discussion on the constitution is the biggest mockery of the constitution. The ruling TMC wants me out of the assembly," he asserted.
"...The Public Accounts Committee chairman was also nominated by the TMC-supported legislature... The Speaker, the House, and the ruling party ignored our legitimate demand and nominated Mukul Roy... Earlier, the Speaker also stated that Mukul Roy, as per the record of the assembly, is a member of the BJP... Our MLA, Dr. Shankar Ghosh, raised this point only... We raised our voices on the floor of the house, and we started shouting slogans... We are aggrieved... For that reason, we walked out of the house...," Suvendu Adhikari said.
The BJP legislative party plans to introduce a 'no-confidence motion' against the Speaker during the ongoing session.
Meanwhile, during the discussion, Chattopadhyay expressed concern over a trend to undermine constitutional provisions by some constitutional offices, impacting the democratic rights and federal structure of governance.
"There is a trend of undermining the constitution which jeopardises the federal structure of governance and the basic principles of secularism as enshrined in the constitution but also affects the general well-being of the citizens of the country," he said.
Education Minister Bratya Basu slammed the BJP government at the Centre for allegedly undermining constitutional norms.
BJP MLA Mihir Goswami, addressing reporters, emphasised that before pointing fingers at the Centre, the state should address its own issues.
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