Six leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and Agnimitra Paul, have been suspended for the remainder of the West Bengal Assembly session due to “unruly and disorderly behavior inside the Assembly.” The suspension was imposed under Rule 348 of the State Assembly after the leaders sat on the floor within the Assembly House, raising slogans and demanding a discussion about the Sandeshkhali issue by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
LoP Adhikari, after the suspension, asserted, “BJP will continue to raise its voice for the respect of women.” The suspension motion was moved by Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs of West Bengal, and passed by the House Speaker.
The Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal recently witnessed an incident where agitated villagers set fire to the poultry farm owned by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shivprasad Hazra. The villagers, especially women, protested against TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh, alleging his involvement in a land ration allotment scam. The locals claimed that Hazra took over their land against their will, leading to their agitation. Despite a significant police presence, the villagers set fire to Shivprasad Hazra’s poultry farm.
West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar criticized Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that, as a woman, she had failed to protect ST women in the Sandeshkhali violence. Majumdar stated, “The reports of violence and rape cases in Sandeshkhali show that TMC leaders Shahjahan Sheikh and Shiv Prasad Hazra have established their aristocratic rule and inflicted pain on women from the ST caste. Being a woman, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has failed to protect women in Sandeshkhali.”