BJP MLAs walk out from West Bengal Assembly; one suspended, another cautioned

The Hindu

5 hours ago

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators on Monday (June 16, 2025) staged a walkout from the West Bengal Assembly after Speaker Biman Banerjee disallowed an adjournment motion on the 'present state of the education sector in the State, ranging from the SSC (School Service Commission) recruitment row, protests by jobless teachers, and the indefinite hunger strike by terminated candidates'.
The adjournment motion was moved by BJP Falakata MLA Dipak Barman and others, who claimed that the issue was of importance, and should be discussed on the floor of the House.
'All we wanted was a threadbare discussion on the unprecedented crisis in the education sector. So many eligible teachers have been rendered unemployed. They are sitting on the streets because of the corruption and irregularities committed by the ruling party leaders and Ministers. Some of whom are already in jail,' Mr. Barman told reporters after the walkout.
During the proceedings of the House, BJP MLA Manoj Oraon was suspended for the day for improper conduct during Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's address. The Speaker also 'cautioned' BJP Chief Whip Sankar Ghosh.
Under her government, employment opportunities had significantly increased when compared with the previous regime, Ms. Banerjee claimed during Question Hour. She also spoke about the alleged denial of Central funds and accused BJP-ruled State governments of discriminating against Bengali-speaking migrants.
During the Chief Minister's speech, BJP MLA Sikha Chatterjee wanted to say something, to which Ms. Banerjee described her as 'a politician rejected in municipal elections having no moral right to ask questions in the House'.
'What if I would have branded her as someone defeated in Nandigram in Assembly polls and still becoming the CM after being elected in a bypoll?' the BJP MLA From Jalpaiguri later told journalists.
The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, spoke against the suspension of the BJP lawmakers.
'This suspension of the Opposition legislator is not just unfair, but a deliberate attempt by the TMC (Trinamool Congress) to silence the truth by gagging the voice of the Opposition on the floor of the Legislative Assembly,' he said. Mr. Adhikari claimed that the BJP would continue to fight for the rights of teachers, students, and doctors, and every citizen of West Bengal who deserved a corruption-free and transparent government.
This is not the first time that an MLA from the Opposition party has been suspended from the House. The LoP has himself faced suspensions over varying periods of time, adding up to almost eight months in the past four years.