Ruckus in Assembly over motion on Bengali migrants; Suvendu suspended for rest of special session

Kolkata, Sep 2 (PTI) The West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday witnessed chaos as the ruling TMC and opposition BJP clashed over a motion condemning alleged attacks on Bengali-speaking migrants in other states, culminating in the suspension of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for the remainder of the special session for "disrupting proceedings".

Adhikari said he was suspended for protesting against state Education Minister Bratya Basu's alleged remarks criticising the Indian Army's dismantling of a TMC protest stage in the city and drawing parallels with the Pakistani army's atrocities in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

The dramatic showdown came less than 24 hours after Army officials dismantled a TMC protest pandal near the Gandhi statue on Kolkata's Mayo Road, citing encroachment on defence land.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had rushed to the spot on Monday evening, accusing the BJP of "misusing the Army" for "vendetta politics." Tabling the motion under Rule 169, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay cited recent incidents, including the alleged torture of a migrant worker in a BJP-ruled state, to highlight the "persecution faced by Bengalis".

During the debate, Basu said, "Our chief minister herself rushed to the site when the Army pulled down our podium meant to protest attacks on Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states." "When the Army dismantled our stage yesterday, it reminded me of the Pakistani army firing in Dhaka on March 25, 1971. It also reminded me of the sacrifices made by people who laid down their lives to protect our language and identity," Basu said.

His comments triggered uproar from the BJP benches, with Adhikari accusing the government of "defaming the Army" and equating a lawful act with Pakistan's brutality.

"This government is maligning a proud national institution just to score political points," he said, demanding the remarks be expunged.

When Speaker Biman Banerjee refused, Adhikari stood up, repeatedly interrupted proceedings and shouted slogans.

"I am forced to suspend you for repeatedly interrupting the proceedings of the House and leaving your seat," the Speaker declared, amid loud desk-thumping from TMC legislators.

Talking to PTI later, the Speaker said Adhikari has been suspended for the "remaining days of this (special) session".

The special session, which began on Monday, will end on Thursday. There will be a break on September 3, which is a state holiday on account of Karam Puja.

BJP MLAs then staged a walkout, raising slogans such as "We don't want this pro-appeasement Mamata government" and "shame, shame." Outside the Assembly, Adhikari claimed he had been "unethically forced out," adding, "I was suspended because I protested against Basu's defamatory remarks against the Indian Army. We want those remarks to be expunged. How can a minister compare the Indian army with that of the Pakistani army?" The TMC defended the motion, saying it was necessary to highlight the "systematic harassment" of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states and that Basu's comments were being "twisted for political gains." The clash over migrants and the Army has added a fresh flashpoint to the bitter TMC-BJP rivalry, with the ruling party accusing the saffron camp of remaining silent on "attacks against Bengalis" and the opposition charging the state government with dragging the Army into partisan politics.

The motion in the assembly comes against the backdrop of TMC's protests over alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states such as Assam, Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has alleged that these migrants were being branded "illegal Bangladeshis" and targeted for detentions and linguistic profiling. PTI SUS PNT MNB