West Bengal LOP suspended from Assembly for creating ruckus in the House

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari was suspended from the State Assembly on Tuesday (September 2, 2025) by Speaker Biman Banerjee for creating a ruckus in the House.

Mr. Adhikari raised objections to a remark by State Education Minister Bratya Basu directed at the Army during a debate in the House. The BJP leader raised slogans against the Minister over the remark. He was joined by other BJP MLAs. Despite warnings from the Speaker, the LoP did not relent and was suspended for the remainder of the session.

Speaking in the House on a resolution regarding the debate of the targeting of migrant workers from the State for speaking in Bengali, the Minister said that the Army had “opened fire on Bengali speakers in Dhaka in 1971”. Mr. Basu went on to add that the Army had dismantled the stage of the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata on Monday. After the suspension of Mr. Adhikari, the other BJP MLAs walked out of the House in protest.

The BJP leader accused the Education Minister of insulting the Army. “I had asked the Speaker to expunge the remarks made by the Minister from the proceedings. I am proud that I have been suspended for supporting the Indian Army,” said Mr. Adhikari.

The BJP legislator said he has been suspended from the Assembly twice, once for raising support for the Muslim women who were burnt alive in Bogtui, Birbhum, and for raising his voice over attacks on Hindu idols during festivals.

Speaking to mediapersons, Mr. Basu said that his remark was against the Pakistan Army and that he would “repeat the comment a hundred times”. The Minister went on to deplore the Pakistan Army’s atrocities in Bangladesh [then East Pakistan] in 1971. There were noisy scenes in the Assembly during the debate over the targeting of Bengali migrants in various parts of the country. A special session of the Assembly had been called to discuss the issue.

On Monday, a controversy erupted after the Army personnel dismantled a set up by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) next to the Gandhi statue at Mayo Road in Kolkata .The Chief Minister accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the Indian Army to dismantle the TMC’s stage. Reminders had been sent to the organisers for removal of the temporary structure, which was, however, not removed, a statement by the Union Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Monday.