Ruckus erupted in the West Bengal Assembly on Thursday, the last day of the second phase of Budget session, as the BJP legislators protested, staged a walkout, and then burnt the effigy of Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay in the lawn.
The protests were against an attack on a rally of BJP led by Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition (LoP), on Wednesday at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district. Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay is the MLA from the Baruipur Paschim constituency.
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While staging the protest at the Assembly lawn, the BJP legislators also demanded the immediate resignation of Bandopadhyay from the chair of the Speaker.
As the proceedings of the House started on Thursday afternoon, the BJP legislators started protesting over the attack on the Adhikari-led rally allegedly by the local Trinamul Congress activists.
First, the BJP legislators came down to the well of the House and started protesting there raising slogans condemning the attack. After continuing with the protests within the House for almost half an hour, the BJP legislators staged a walkout from the House and continued with their protests on the Assembly lawn.
Later, they also burnt the effigy of the Speaker on the lawn as a mark of protest.
The chief whip of the BJP legislative party in the Assembly, Shankar Ghosh said that Wednesday’s attack proved how right the LoP was treated as he questioned the impartiality of the Speaker. “It is unfortunate that the rally and even the vehicle of the Leader of Opposition were attacked within the Assembly constituency of the Speaker. Our protests on this issue will continue,” Ghosh added.
He also claimed that the seriousness of the attack on the convoy of Mr Adhikari was such that it could have posed a life threat for the latter. “If the Leader of Opposition had to face such an attack, the safety of the common people in the state can be well understood,” Ghosh said.
Meanwhile, Mr Adhikari has already registered an FIR with Baruipur district police for the attack on his convoy and rally on Wednesday. The police have started an investigation and are checking the footage of the CCTVs installed on the route of the rally.
