Kolkata, March 11 (IANS) Chaos erupted in the West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday as BJP legislators staged a walkout, protesting against Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay’s decision to withhold circulation of Assembly-related documents to them during the session.
Tensions flared when the Speaker refused to admit an adjournment motion tabled by BJP members to discuss recent incidents of communal clashes in certain parts of the state. Justifying his decision, Bandopadhyay stated that the issue had already been deliberated upon in the House and did not warrant further discussion.
This rejection triggered a strong reaction from BJP MLAs, who protested inside the Assembly.
The uproar intensified as some BJP legislators descended into the well of the House, shouting slogans against the ruling dispensation. In a dramatic show of dissent, a few tore apart assembly papers and documents circulated to them.
Reacting sharply to this, the Speaker announced that henceforth, BJP MLAs would not be provided with any official documents or papers during the session.
The Speaker’s directive further enraged BJP legislators, who stormed out of the House in protest. Their agitation continued in the Assembly premises, where they staged a demonstration, raising slogans against what they termed an “undemocratic move” by the Speaker.
Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari condemned the Speaker’s decision, calling it “unprecedented and unconstitutional.”
“This is a blatant attempt to stifle the voice of the opposition. We have never seen a Speaker taking such an authoritarian step of barring opposition MLAs from receiving assembly-related documents,” Adhikari said.
Undeterred by the Speaker’s move, Adhikari vowed to escalate BJP’s protests inside the House. “We will bring our own bundles of paper daily and tear them apart in protest. This fight against the Speaker’s undemocratic decision will continue,” he declared.
The BJP’s protest adds to the ongoing political tensions between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition in West Bengal.
–IANS
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