Six Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and Agnimitra Paul were suspended on Monday for the remainder of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly session due to their “unruly and disorderly behaviour inside the Assembly”, reported ANI. The leaders were suspended after they sat on the floor inside the Assembly House and raised slogans demanding a discussion about the Sandeshkhali issue by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The leaders have been suspended under Rule 348 of the State Assembly. The motion was moved by Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs of West Bengal and placed before the House by the Speaker and the motion was passed, according to ANI. After being suspended from the Assembly, LoP Adhikari said, "BJP will continue to raise its voice for the respect of women."
"We were protesting against the incident in Sandeshkhali. We entered the well of the House and raised our voice. However, we were suspended. This suspension is a gift for us as we were trying to defend the honour of our mothers and sisters,"he was quoted by PTI.
While speaking to ANI, Adhikari said, "They can send us to prison or even hang us but we will continue to raise our voice for the Sandeshkhali women."
Sandeshkhali Issue
In a recent incident in the Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal, villagers allegedly set fire to the poultry farm belonging to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shivprasad Hazra. The villagers, particularly women, marched through various sections of Sandeshkhali, demanding the arrest of TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh in an alleged land ration allotment scam.
Locals claimed that Hazra forcibly took over their land, sparking agitation and subsequent protests against the TMC leader. Despite a significant police presence in response to the protests, the villagers set fire to Hazra's poultry farm.
West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday, alleging that as a woman, she had failed to protect Scheduled Tribe (ST) women in the Sandeshkhali violence.
Meanwhile, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee while addressing the media said, that arrests have been made in the incident and that the State Women Commission has submitted a report in the matter.