Ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs began shouting and protesting, preventing BJP chief whip Shankar Ghosh from delivering his speech. Amidst the uproar, BJP MLAs walked out of the House after the Bill was tabled.
After Education Minister Bratya Basu tabled the Bill, numerous Trinamool legislators continued their protests, even as Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay initially allowed Ghosh to speak.
Speaker Bandopadhyay later stated, “I had to expunge your and other BJP MLAs’ statements made on the floor of the House as you had left while the minister was delivering a reply to your question. This was an act of insult to the minister and the House. However, I want the House to function properly and want you to participate in the debate.”
Chief Whip Nirmal Ghosh, Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, Minister of State (Independent) Chandrima Bhattacharya, IT Minister Babul Supriyo, and several others from the TMC continued protesting against the conduct of Shankar Ghosh and other BJP leaders for several minutes. The protesting BJP MLAs left the House and demonstrated outside the assembly premises, wearing black masks.
Ghosh told reporters that the voice of the Opposition is being silenced by the ruling party and the Speaker. “It is said that the House belongs to the Opposition. But the House is behaving like Trinamool’s party office. There was a deliberate attempt to snatch our rights. The ruling Trinamool doesn’t want democracy to function. They did not allow the opposition to speak, and the Speaker did not take any action,” Ghosh asserted. He added, “For the first time, the entire ruling party united to stop an MLA from speaking… We had decided not to stay during the minister’s speech. Speeches of our two MLAs, including Ashok Lahiri, were expunged by the Speaker yesterday.”
