The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main Opposition in West Bengal, escalated its protests against Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Thursday, taking its demonstrations beyond the legislative floor to the streets of Kolkata.
The confrontation follows a series of heated exchanges between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), with both sides engaging in political face-offs across different parts of the state.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took to social media to highlight the BJP’s actions against what he called a “partisan” Speaker.
“My colleagues gave a fitting reply by waving black flags inside the Assembly. The Speaker does not allow live streaming of the House proceedings, revealing his bias,” Adhikari wrote on his X handle.
The protests in the Assembly were triggered by the Speaker’s refusal to entertain an adjournment motion moved by BJP MLAs on Tuesday. Angered by this, BJP legislators stormed into the well of the House on Thursday morning, tearing up official documents and demanding Banerjee’s resignation. They later walked out, continuing to raise slogans against him outside the Assembly premises.
Even as the Assembly witnessed chaotic scenes, BJP supporters took to the streets of Kolkata and surrounding areas. In Salt Lake’s Karunamoyee, BJP workers blocked roads to protest against the events in Baruipur, where Adhikari’s rally had faced resistance from TMC supporters.
Adhikari, who is currently in Tamluk leading a BJP rally in his home district of East Midnapore, recalled a recent incident where he was greeted with black flags in Baruipur.
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“Biman Banerjee showed me black flags in Baruipur last evening. In response, fifty BJP MLAs waved black flags at him in the Assembly for 37 minutes. Outside the Assembly, his effigy was burnt. He must step down,” Adhikari declared while leading a march from Rajbari to Hospital More in Tamluk. “We will defeat Mamata Banerjee in Bhowanipore and Biman Banerjee in Baruipur.”
Biman Banerjee, a three-term MLA from Baruipur West, found himself at the center of controversy following BJP’s rally in Baruipur. The rally was met with strong resistance from Trinamool Congress supporters, leading to stone-pelting at Adhikari’s convoy in the South 24-Parganas town.
The BJP accused the ruling party of orchestrating the attack and criticized the state government for failing to provide security to the Leader of the Opposition. BJP’s chief whip and Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh condemned the state government’s handling of the situation, demanding accountability for the attack on Adhikari’s convoy.
“This government has failed to ensure the safety of its citizens. The attack on our Leader of Opposition is unacceptable. We are determined to defeat the Trinamool Congress in the upcoming elections,” Ghosh asserted.
With the political battle between the BJP and TMC intensifying, the coming days are expected to witness further confrontations both within and outside the Assembly.
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