5 opposition MLAs suspended by Tripura assembly speaker

Tripura assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen on Friday suspended five opposition MLAs for the day for disrupting proceedings of the opening day of the budget session.

Later all the opposition members of Tipra Motha Party (TMP), CPI-M and the Congress -- staged walkout protesting the Speaker’s decision while demanding disciplinary action against BJP MLA Jadab Lal Debnath, who was caught on camera watching an obscene video on his mobile phone while the Tripura Assembly session was going on in March.

The unprecedented bedlam began as soon as the house assembled and Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy started presenting the annual budget for 2023-24 financial year.

All the members of the TMP, CPI-M and the Congress led by their leaders went to the well of the house and started shouting demanding action against Debnath and the noisy scene continued for over 40 minutes before the Chief Minister Manik Saha named five MLAs to suspend them for the day.

The Speaker immediately announced the suspension of five MLAs – Sudip Roy Barman (Congress), Nayan Sarrkar (CPI-M) and Brishaketu Debbarma, Nandita Reang and Ranjit Debbarma, all TMP – and asked the watch and ward staff to remove them from the house.

During the chaos, the three TMP legislators as part of their protests climbed on the table of the house, in which assembly staff recording the proceedings of the house.

As the uproarious scene continued, the Speaker told the opposition MLAs that he would reconsider his decision of suspension of five MLAs, and then the agitated legislators returned to their seats and then walked out from the house.

After the opposition MLAs walked out from the house, the Finance Minister resumed reading his budget speech.

Due to the pandemonium, proceedings of the house were disrupted for more than an hour.

Earlier, before the beginning of the proceedings of the house opposition leader Animesh Debbarma moved an adjournment motion to discuss Debnath’s issue but the Speaker rejected the motion triggering escalating the protests of the lawmakers.

Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman after entering into the house sprinkle Ganga water in the table and floor of the house “in a bid to purify the assembly premises.”

Opposition leaders – CPI-M’s Jitendra Choudhury, Congress’ Birajit Sinha -- continued to demand action against Debnath for doing the unethical act inside the House.

Criticising the BJP legislator, opposition leader Animesh Debbarma, said, “The MLAs are responsible persons and their acts should not create a bad precedent for others, especially the younger generation.”

Earlier, Debnath watching an obscene video while the session was going-on, went viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from all quarters.

The 55-year-old leader, who is also the secretary of BJP’s Tripura state unit, however said that when he received a phone call then a site was automatically opened and he immediately closed it.

Netizens had termed the act as shameful.