Bengal Speaker suspends BJP MLA, orders eviction of two others following ruckus in House

Kolkata, Mar 10 (PTI) The West Bengal Assembly witnessed chaos on Monday as opposition BJP MLAs protested the Speaker's decision to switch off the microphone of one of their colleagues, prompting Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay to suspend saffron party legislator Dipak Barman for the rest of the session and order marshals to evict two others from the House.

The BJP MLAs later staged a walkout in protest against the "biased approach" of the Speaker.

The developments began when BJP MLA Hiran Chatterjee, during the discussion on the budget, raised concerns about the functioning of the West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC).

He questioned why the commission had not received a single public complaint since 2011 when the Trinamool Congress government came to power in the state.

Chatterjee further alleged that the commission did not have the statutory authority to handle complaints, citing a recent note from the chief secretary to the chief minister.

He wondered about the relevance of the commission in such circumstances.

As the BJP legislator continued his speech, Speaker Bandopadhyay reminded him that his comments were unrelated to the budget debate and asked him to stop.

Chatterjee, however, insisted on his right to speak on behalf of the people, leading to a heated exchange of words between the two.

The Speaker reminded him of his authority and attempted to restrict his speech, but as Chatterjee continued speaking, Bandopadhyay switched off his microphone, triggering an outcry from BJP MLAs who accused him of suppressing opposition voices.

The Speaker then ordered the expunging of Chatterjee's comments, stating that they violated the legislative decorum.

In response, BJP MLAs Shankar Ghosh and Manoj Oraon began shouting slogans.

Despite repeated warnings from the Speaker, they continued their protest, which led to marshals being called to remove them from the House.

As the disruption continued, BJP MLAs, led by Chief Whip Shankar Ghosh, tore and threw papers in the House in protest.

Bandopadhyay then announced the suspension of MLA Dipak Barman for the remainder of the session.

The entire BJP contingent staged a walkout in protest against what they called the "biased" actions of the Speaker.

Later, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari condemned the Speaker's actions, accusing him of "goondaism" and charging the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) with stifling dissent.

Adhikari claimed the marshals had acted under the influence of the TMC.

In contrast, TMC legislators defended the Speaker's decision, stating that the BJP was trying to disrupt the legislative proceedings.

They argued that the Speaker's actions were necessary to maintain order and discipline in the House.

TMC lawmaker Chandrima Bhattacharya criticised the BJP for raising questions about the effectiveness of state welfare schemes like Kanyashree and the budget allocation but leaving the House when the minister rose to respond.

She accused the BJP of trying to create unnecessary disruptions rather than engage in constructive dialogue.

As the BJP lawmakers walked out, the Speaker termed the behaviour of the opposition party as unbecoming of a democratic institution like state legislature.

"I had to expunge some of the comments of Hiran which were unwarranted and despite repeated pleas asking him not to digress, he continued to speak in the same way. I had to halt his speech before the allotted time but he went on. Some other MLAs of his party behaved improperly and tore the business papers and hurled them on the floor of the House," he told reporters at his chamber.

Bandyopadhyay said, "As there is no round-the-clock live telecast of assembly proceedings on TV, they (BJP) MLAs get away with such acts. Otherwise, people would have seen it themselves." "I always believe in enabling opposition to air their views and often allow them to speak beyond the allotted time limits but this is how they behave," he added. PTI SUS PNT NN