NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Kunal Ghosh was suspended from the West Bengal Assembly for the remainder of Wednesday after he disrupted proceedings by interrupting rebel TMC Chief Whip Akhruzzaman during a debate on the Home and Hill Affairs budget.The suspension came after marshals forcibly escorted Ghosh out of the House when he refused to return to his seat despite repeated directions from the Speaker.The dramatic scenes unfolded amid an escalating power struggle between rival factions within the TMC legislature party.
Marshals remove Ghosh after disruption in House
The disruption began when Akhruzzaman, who belongs to the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction of the TMC, rose to speak during the debate.Ghosh walked up to the microphone and interrupted him, questioning why his own name had allegedly been removed from the list of speakers.Speaker Rathindra Bose repeatedly appealed to Ghosh to return to his seat, while senior leaders also attempted to defuse the situation.However, after Ghosh refused to comply, the Speaker ordered Assembly marshals to remove him from the House. Ghosh resisted, leading to a brief scuffle before marshals carried him out, triggering protests inside the Assembly.Industries minister Tapas Roy initially proposed that Ghosh be suspended for the remainder of the ongoing Assembly session. However, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari suggested that suspending him for the day would be sufficient.“This type of behaviour is not acceptable. We are also in an opposition post, but there is some responsibility. Akhruzzaman is a senior MLA and his father was also a long-time MLA,” Adhikari said.The Speaker subsequently placed the proposal before the House, and Ghosh was suspended for the rest of the day through a voice vote, with support from BJP legislators as well as members of the rebel TMC faction.
Internal TMC rift spills onto Assembly floor
The incident highlighted the deepening divide between the Mamata Banerjee-led ‘Kalighat’ faction, to which Ghosh belongs, and the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel camp within the TMC legislature party.Ghosh alleged that his name had been removed from the list of speakers despite being nominated to participate in the debate on the Home and Hill Affairs budget.He claimed the move prompted his protest inside the House.The confrontation comes a day after disagreements over the Opposition’s list of speakers exposed tensions within the TMC legislature party.Legislators aligned with the Kalighat faction had alleged that names recommended by them were being dropped from the speaking list, reflecting an ongoing battle over floor coordination and control within the party.Assembly proceedings resumed only after Ghosh was removed from the House.