Two BJP MLAs in Bengal suspended for disrupting Governor's address

Kolkata, March 9 (IANS) West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Wednesday suspended two BJP MLAs - Sudip Mukherjee and Mihir Goswami - for the rest of the session for creating disturbances in the House during Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar's speech on the first day of the Budget Session on March 7.

The motion, brought by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee seeking the suspension of the BJP MLAs for the rest of the current session of the House, was passed by voice vote.

Moving the motion, Chatterjee said that Goswami, the MLA from Natabari in north Bengal and Mukhopadhyay, the MLA from Purulia, had indulged in sloganeering, waving placards and creating disturbance during the Governor's address, and as a result, he could not complete the speech and read only the first and the last lines.

On Monday, Dhankhar failed to deliver his address following continuous protests by the MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), against the violence during the recently-concluded civic polls.

The Governor had requested the BJP MLAs to let the proceedings begin but they remained adamant, and raised 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogans.

As the Governor was about to leave the House, ruling party MLAs including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requested him to stay, following which Dhankhar again urged the BJP lawmakers to calm down but it was in vain as the BJP MLAs started giving slogans at a renewed vigour.

Dhankhar then read the first and the last line of the budget speech and left the assembly.

Chief Minister Banerjee termed the BJP MLAs' protest as "shame for democracy".