Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari today lodged a complaint of physical assault on him by Trinamul MLA from Purbashtali Tapan Chatterjee. He wrote a complaint to Speaker Biman Banerjee.
Mr Chatterjee has denied the allegations. The incident happened after the BJP’s parliamentary party head had demanded a discussion in the Assembly on the issue of violence against women. However, when this request was denied, BJP MLAs, led by LoP Adhikari, walked out. During this time, Suvendu got into a heated argument with Tapan Chatterjeein the lobby of the Assembly. Suvendu alleged that he was physically assaulted during this argument. He claimed that he was harassed, both inside and outside the Assembly. The Opposition Leader stated, “I was attacked in the Assembly. If any BJP MLA is attacked, it is the Speaker’s responsibility.” Suvendu has sent a letter to Biman Banerjee regarding Wednesday’s incident, accusing the Purbasthali MLA of physically assaulting him and using offensive language. In the letter, Suvendu also raised concerns about the safety of Opposition MLAs within the Assembly.
Sources in the Assembly reported that Suvendu had attacked the Purbasthali MLA in his area, questioning how his daughter received a government job based on her secondary examination marks, where she secured third division.
When asked about the incident, the Trinamul MLA stated that he only sought to understand why Suvendu had made such remarks. He claimed to have filed complaints with both the police station and the Speaker. The Trinamul MLA denied the allegations of physical assault, saying, “There were many people around. Is there any picture of me hitting him? I said he lied. He is a liar.”
Today the BJP’s parliamentary party has raised concerns about the state’s law and order situation in the Assembly. On Wednesday, the BJP demanded a discussion in the Assembly regarding allegations of violence against women in Bengal. They insisted that chief minister Mamata Banerjee should issue a statement. Since the chief minister was not present in the Assembly that day, BJP MLAs requested that someone else be given the responsibility to conduct the discussion.
However, when minister Chandrima Bhattacharya’s response did not satisfy them, the BJP MLAs walked out. Subsequently, they began protesting in the lobby of the Assembly. The BJP parliamentary party applied to Speaker Biman Banerjee for a discussion on the allegations of violence against women. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul submitted the proposal on behalf of the BJP parliamentary party. Following this, Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari requested that the state government handle such an important issue as law and order with sensitivity.