West Bengal Assembly ruckus: Five MLAs suspended, BJP asks 'Does T in TMC stand for Taliban?'

The West Bengal Assembly plunged into pandemonium on Monday as ruling TMC and BJP MLAs exchanged blows after saffron party legislators demanded a statement by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over "worsening" law and order situation in the state.

Kolkata:Five BJP MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, were suspended by West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay on Monday for their alleged unruly conduct in the House. Adhikari, along with BJP legislators Dipak Burman, Shankar Ghosh, Manoj Tigga, and Narahari Mahato, were suspended by the Speaker for future sessions this year.

Earlier in the day, the assembly plunged into pandemonium as ruling TMC and BJP MLAs exchanged blows after saffron party legislators demanded a statement by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the "worsening" law and order situation in the state. Around 25 BJP MLAs led by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari then walked out of the assembly, claiming that several party legislators were roughed up by TMC MLAs inside the House.

TMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim, however, told reporters that the BJP was "staging a drama to create chaos" in the assembly. He also said that some Trinamool Congress legislators were injured during the scuffle that took place inside the House.

Earlier the saffron party legislators demanded a statement by Chief Minister in respect of the recent incident reported in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal's Birbhum on March 22 in which eight lives were lost after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of TMC leader Bhadu Sheikh. Speaker Biman Banerjee criticised the role of the opposition on the floor. He also made a reference to the Shuvendu Adhikari and the latter's role in the Birbhum incident.

Enraged by the Speaker's criticism, the opposition led by Adhikari staged a walkout from the Assembly, claiming that several party legislators were roughed up by TMC MLAs inside the House. They continued their protest on the streets. The fisticuffs started soon after the security guard prevented the peeved MLAs from snatching the papers from the Secretariat. The ruling party MLAs too left their seats to join the issue with the BJP MLAs who were seething in anger.

BJP accuses TMC of "violently assaulting" its MLAs

The BJP on Monday accused Trinamool Congress MLAs of "violently assaulting" its legislators in the West Bengal Assembly after the opposition demanded a statement from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state.

"BJP MLAs were violently assaulted by unruly TMC MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly. Mistake of Our MLAs? They asked for a discussion on the Birbhum massacre which was executed by TMC Goons. What is Mamata Benerjee trying to hide from the people? Does T in TMC stand for Taliban," BJP general secretary C T Ravi alleged in a tweet.

Unidentified people had on March 21 set ablaze 10 houses in Birbhum, killing at least eight people, including women and children. BJP chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni alleged that murders and anarchy have again started under her rule in the state, and the TMC government violently attacks BJP MLAs instead of discussing the "Birbhum massacre". "The TMC government, murderer of democracy, should be ashamed," he said.