BJP demands discussion on suspension of jailed minister, stages walkout from Assembly

Kolkata: Opposition BJP lawmakers staged a walkout from West Bengal Assembly on Thursday demanding a discussion on the suspension of the jailed West Bengal Minister and TMC MLA Jyotipriyo Mallick.

All the about 30 MLAs of the saffron party present walked out of the Assembly hall after Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay disallowed a motion by them demanding that they be allowed to raise the issue of Mallick's suspension from the House in view of his arrest in a money laundering case linked to the ration distribution scam.

The motion was brought by BJP MLAs Shankar Ghosh and Agnimitra Paul among others two days after senior party leader Suvendu Adhikari was suspended for the entire winter session of the House after allegations that he made objectionable remarks against the speaker and created ruckus in the House.

In response to BJP leaders demands Bandyopadhyay said the issue cannot be discussed in the House. Mallick was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a PMLA case linked to the ration scam on October 27.

"The arrest of a people's representative and a member of the state cabinet in connection with a money laundering case has lowered the dignity of the House. We demand that unless the minister is proved innocent by the investigating agency and in the court, he should not be allowed to continue as a legislator," Ghosh said.

"As no such step has been taken by the speaker and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against Mallick even a month after his arrest, we demand the issue figure in the assembly," the BJP leader said. Asked about the next move by BJP to press for the demand, Ghosh said "We will step up our protests in different forms inside the House" but did not elaborate.

After the House adjourned for the day, ruling TMC and BJP legislators shouted "chor chor" (thieves) at each other in its premises.

TMC legislators, who are holding a protest at the base of B R Ambedkar for the second consecutive day, were led by ministers Firhad Hakim, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Aroop Biswas, while BJP MLAs were led by the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.

Assembly security personnel accompanied by plainsclothes policemen stood between them.

The TMC protest was against alleged attempts by the BJP government at the Centre to stop central allocations to West Bengal and subvert the Constitution.

A similar scene was witnessed on Wednesday when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led the TMC's protests.

Bhattacharya Thursday criticised the BJP legislators and said their behaviour is condemnable and provocative which lessens and dignity of the House.

"Our protests against the Centre's discriminatory attitude towards the state and its people was scheduled and the Assembly secretariat was notified. However, the BJP MLAs led by Adhikari are staging protests and raising provocative slogans," she said.

BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh said the "counter protests" were necessitated as TMC has been throttling the Opposition's voice by taking away their space in the legislature and making provocative and personal attacks on the leader of the opposition.