West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Wednesday witnessed stormy scenes over the passage of Bill imposing payment of compensation on public properties damaged during violent protests with the Speaker suspending Leader of Opposition and Congress MLA Abdul Mannan.
After Mr Mannan refused to leave the House despite Speaker’s order security personnel forcibly tried to take him out of The House. They were prevented by Congress MLA and along with legislators of Left Front who encircled the Leader of Opposition.
In the scuffle, which ensued Mr. Mannan, 61, fell ill and was hospitalised. The Left and Congress MLA walked out of the House in protest.
Noisy scenes in the House started with the tabling of West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order (Amendment) Bill 2017 with Opposition MLA raising protest- putting up flex with slogans against the Trinamool Congress.
The flex wore by the Opposition MLAs also contained photographs of the ransacked Assembly premises in 2006. The MLAs of TMC were responsible for the ransacking of the Assembly premises, the Opposition MLA who were protesting said, raising questioning of tabling of the Bill on Wednesday.
The Speaker told members to remove the flex and requested Mr. Mannan. However, Mr. Mannan himself put one of such flex, the Speaker ruled that he be suspended from the House for two days.
This was followed by Congress MLAs encircling the LOP and preventing the security personnel to take him out of the House.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who participated in the discussion on the Bill, said that hers is not a weak government. “This Bill will protect the rights of the people of the State is future,” she said.
The Bill was passed with voice vote with no Left Front or Congress MLA being present in the House.
