Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MLA Chandrima Bhattacharya on Thursday served a privilege notice against Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari for his purported comment on Speaker Biman Banerjee. After Adhikari, a BJP leader, was not allowed by the Speaker to raise the matter of election in Nandigram in the assembly, saffron party MLAs led by him staged a walkout on Tuesday and purportedly told reporters that Banerjee has become a "servant of the party (TMC)".
Adhikari defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the Nandigram constituency by 1,956 votes in the assembly election held earlier in the year. The TMC supremo, however, has moved the court challenging the poll result. The Speaker acknowledged the notice which seeks a reply from Adhikari within a week, which would be examined by the assembly privilege committee for any subsequent action.
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Denying any breach of privilege on his part, Adhikari said, "I''m not a new MLA and have good knowledge about the rules of the assembly." Parliamentary privileges are certain rights and immunities enjoyed by legislators so that they can effectively discharge their functions. Any act that obstructs or impedes a House or a member of it from discharging duties is treated as a breach of privilege.
If the alleged offender is found guilty of breach of privilege, the House can, as a punishment, summon the person before it for giving a warning or even send him or her to jail.
PTI
