The controversy stems from a directive issued by West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay, instructing the House secretary not to provide BJP MLAs with documents related to Assembly proceedings. This decision followed a series of disruptions caused by BJP legislators during a session.
The incident began when BJP MLAs protested against the Speaker’s refusal to allow an adjournment motion to discuss alleged attacks on temples in the state. In their dissent, some BJP members tore official documents in the Assembly and staged a walkout. The Speaker justified his directive by citing repeated instances of BJP MLAs tearing Assembly documents during protests.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari criticized the Speaker’s decision, calling it an unprecedented move in Indian parliamentary history. He accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of suppressing the opposition’s voice and stifling democracy within the Assembly. Adhikari, who was earlier suspended from the Assembly for allegedly insulting the Speaker, announced plans for larger protests against this decision.
The directive has intensified the ongoing political tensions between the BJP and the TMC in West Bengal. While the Speaker defended his actions as necessary to maintain decorum, the BJP has labeled it as an authoritarian move aimed at silencing dissent. The situation highlights the deepening divide between the ruling party and the opposition in the state.
