BJP MLAs stage walkout from West Bengal Assembly

    Kolkata, Jun 20 (PTI) BJP MLAs on Friday staged a walkout from the West Bengal Assembly following a chaotic half-an-hour of heated exchanges during a debate on the Netaji Subhas University of Sports and Entrepreneurship Bill, 2025.
    The uproar began after BJP Chief Whip Shankar Ghosh rose to speak on the Bill, shortly after it was tabled by Education Minister Bratya Basu.
    Minister Babul Supriyo interrupted Ghosh, questioning why TMC legislators should listen to him when he and fellow BJP MLAs had walked out during state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya's reply in the previous day's Question Hour.
    Supporting Supriyo, over 100 TMC legislators stood up even as Speaker Biman Banerjee allowed Ghosh to continue his speech.
    "Yesterday, I had to expunge your and other BJP MLAs' statements because you left while the minister was replying. That was an insult to the House. But as I want the House to function, I would like you to speak," Banerjee said.
    Banerjee said often opposition MLAs leave their benches just after finishing their speeches on a motion. They don't wait to hear ministers' replies to their queries.
    "I wish to tell Ghosh that he should not leave his seat after delivering his speech as per the rule. I request him to make such a promise. But though he did not, I still allowed him to continue. But they left soon afterwards," he added.
    As Ghosh spoke against the Speaker's Thursday's decision to expunge the comments of BJP MLAs from the proceedings of the assembly, the Speaker countered, "These remarks by you against Thursday's order expunging statements will not be recorded in today's proceedings. This is not part of your statement related to today's matter."
    As several TMC leaders, including Chief Whip Nirmal Ghosh, ministers Aroop Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Supriyo and others continued to protest the conduct of Ghosh and other BJP leaders, the Speaker tried to restore order and pacify the agitated TMC members.
    However, with the bedlam continuing, around 15-20 BJP MLAs walked out of the House.
    Immediately after the walkout, Ghosh told reporters on the assembly premises that the voice of the opposition was being muzzled, and this showed the intolerance of the ruling dispensation.
    "My name had been enlisted as a speaker for the debate. I wanted to voice my views. But the authoritarian TMC does not want democracy to function. They did not allow the opposition to speak, and the Speaker did not take any action," he said.
    "What happened on the floor of the West Bengal Assembly today is unprecedented in the history of any legislature or Parliament. Everyone from the media saw how some ministers of the ruling party egged on their MLAs to stop the chief whip of the opposition from speaking. The Speaker, by his words that I have to be present during the entire discussion, acted in a partisan manner," he claimed.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)