Suvendu Adhikari
Suvendu Adhikari suspended from Bengal assembly for a day over ruckus during state minister Bratya Basu's address
Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari was on Tuesday suspended from the assembly for a day over a ruckus during state Education Minister Bratya Basu's address, media reports said.
The ruckus broke out during a special session which was called in the assembly to debate a motion that was brought to condemn the alleged harassment of Bengali migrants in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states.
Adhikari interrupted Basu's speech for allegedly defaming the Indian Army.
He shouted slogans against the government and also demanded Basu's speech to be expunged from the proceedings.
"I am forced to suspend you for the day for repeatedly interrupting speeches and leaving your seat," Speaker Biman Banerjee said as quoted by The Telegraph.
All BJP MLAs walked out of the assembly in protest.
"I feel proud as an Indian to get suspended for speaking in favour of the Indian Army. The ruling Trinamool Congress is Pakistan's agent," said Adhikari outside the assembly.
What is the row over the Indian Army?
The Indian Army and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress on Monday locked horns, with the party accusing the Centre of using the force to silence its voice after the Army dismantled a protest stage near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Kolkata’s Maidan, a defence land owned and managed by the Indian Army’s Eastern Command.
The stage had been erected to protest the alleged harassment of Bengali migrants.
The Maidan area comes under the authority of the Army, and the Eastern Command headquarters are at Fort William nearby.
Rejecting Mamata's claims, the Eastern Command said the Indian Army gives permission for events in the Maidan area for up to two days as directed by the Supreme Court and the stage was there for almost a month.
"Permission for events greater than 3 days needs to be obtained from the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Permission for conduct of events was provided for two days.
"However, the stage has been put up of almost a month, several reminders have been sent to the organisers for the removal of the temporary structure; however, it was not removed. Thereafter, the Kolkata police was informed and the structure was being removed by the Indian Army," the statement said.
Slamming the Centre, Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee said, "When (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi comes to Kolkata, he should take permission from us. They cannot stop our voices. If the atrocities against Bengalis continue, we will protest every day."
"The Army is not guilty. We are proud of you. I am not blaming the Army. They have been directed by BJP. It's a dirty political game," she added, directing party leaders to shift the protest site.
She termed it "political vendetta" and "misuse of the Army" by the ruling BJP.
"The BJP and the Centre misuse the Army to curb our voice. Forcefully, they have misused the Army for their political vendetta," he said.
Meanwhile, the Bengal BJP slammed Banerjee and said she is "lying" about the entire episode.
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