BJP walks out of Bengal Assembly after Speaker blocks Holi violence debate, TMC-ISF slam Opposition for polarization

The State Assembly session heated up today as the main opposition party, BJP, moved an adjournment motion demanding a discussion on incidents of unrest during the Holi festival across various parts of the state. Speaker Biman Banerjee allowed opposition chief whip Shankar Ghosh to read a partial version of the adjournment motion.

Shankar Babu stated that the unrest during the Holi celebrations disrupted public safety in several parts of the state. He demanded that if a discussion was not permitted, the government should at least make a statement in the Assembly regarding the matter. In response, the Speaker said that a long discussion on communal harmony had already taken place in the Assembly. The Chief Minister had personally made a statement, and therefore, there was no need for another discussion on the issue.

Upon hearing this, BJP members began protesting in the session. They raised slogans, accusing the government of being anti-Hindu. In response, several ministers and legislators from the ruling party stood up and began counter-sloganeering. The intensity of slogans and counter-slogans kept increasing. This continued for some time before BJP members, led by Shankar Ghosh, walked out of the session.

Meanwhile, the government strongly reacted to the BJP legislative party's actions in the Assembly today. Government chief advocates Nirmal Ghosh, Aroop Biswas, and Chandrima Bhattacharya criticized the BJP, accusing it of engaging in religious polarization politics. They demanded punitive action against BJP members attempting to disrupt communal harmony in the state by using the Assembly as a platform.

ISF legislator Nawsad Siddique joined the government in criticizing the BJP’s role. He cited multiple examples of Hindu-Muslim unity in the state and said that poisonous divisions were being spread in society to disrupt this harmony. He warned that under the guise of showing sympathy for one community, social balance was being destroyed. Nawsad called for a broad struggle against communal politics.

Regarding the punishment of BJP legislators, the Speaker stated that all members should exercise restraint in their choice of words while speaking in the Assembly. If the opposition continued such actions, he would be compelled to take disciplinary action against them.