Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh was marshalled out of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and suspended for the remainder of the day’s proceedings after he prevented Opposition Chief Whip Akhruzzaman from speaking.
Chaos erupted when Akhruzzaman rose to participate in the debate.
Soon, Ghosh left his seat and stood in front of the opposition member’s microphone, raising slogans and preventing him from speaking during the budget discussion on the Home and Hill Affairs Department.
As the chaos continued despite repeated appeals for order, Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose directed assembly marshals to remove Ghosh from the House.
Following the Speaker’s order, Ghosh was escorted out by the marshals amid strong protests. Later, the Speaker suspended him from the House for the remainder of the day for disrupting proceedings.
Ghosh claimed that he was protesting because his name had been removed from the list of speakers for the debate by the opposition chief whip.
According to the Trinamool MLA, his name had initially figured on the list of members scheduled to participate in the discussion on the budgetary demands of the Home and Hill Affairs Department, but was subsequently struck off. This, he said, forced him to stage the protest on the floor of the House.
The Beleghata MLA was heard saying, “Why are you cutting my name?” Finally, on the orders of the Speaker, the Assembly marshals tried to remove him from the session hall. Ghosh started a scuffle with them. At one point, he fell in the session hall due to the jostling. Later, he was dragged out of the Assembly. Trinamool MLAs belonging to the original but minority faction of the party led by Mamata Banerjee also walked out in protest.
After this incident, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, without naming Ghosh, said there is a limit to incivility.
“We were also in the opposition seat. But this incivility is above everyone. This cannot be tolerated,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, proceedings in the Assembly resumed after Ghosh was removed.
(IANS)
