BJP demands Speaker Biman Banerjee's resignation, burn effigy outside Assembly

The West Bengal Assembly witnessed intense protests on Thursday as BJP MLAs demanded the resignation of Speaker Biman Banerjee, accusing him of inaction over the alleged attack on Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and other party MLAs in Baruipur. BJP legislators staged demonstrations inside the House, walked out in protest, and later burned an effigy of the Speaker outside the Assembly gates.

The incident stems from a BJP event in Baruipur on Wednesday, which the party claims was disrupted by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers despite having police permission. BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh raised the issue in the Assembly, alleging that a life-threatening situation was created for 50 BJP MLAs, including Adhikari. He questioned why the state government had not responded to the attack and criticized the Speaker for not addressing the matter during the session.

Inside the Assembly, BJP MLAs staged protests by waving black handkerchiefs, tearing legislative documents, and shouting slogans against Speaker Biman Banerjee. Security personnel were deployed around the Speaker’s chair as the disruption continued for 32 minutes. Meanwhile, TMC leaders Chandrima Bhattacharya and Apurba Sarkar participated in a discussion on the Appropriation Bill. Bhattacharya responded to the protests by stating, "They are fools. They don’t know what they are doing. That’s why they are playing this role." The Speaker remarked, "They have become too impatient for the chair. In a democracy, you don’t get such a chair like this."

Amid the protests, the Speaker suspended Suvendu Adhikari for tearing Assembly papers, leading to further outrage from BJP legislators. They alleged that while action was taken against Adhikari, no statement was made regarding the alleged attack on BJP MLAs in Baruipur. The protest escalated outside the Assembly as BJP MLAs burned an effigy of Speaker Biman Banerjee and raised slogans demanding his resignation.

Following the session, BJP leaders reiterated their demand for the Speaker to step down and sought accountability from the state government over the incident. The party announced that it would continue its agitation both inside and outside the Assembly until a formal response was given regarding the attack on its MLAs.