Kolkata: Trinamool Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh was removed from assembly by marshals and suspended for the remainder of the day on Wednesday after he walked down to Akhruzzaman, chief whip of the TMC rebel camp, for striking his name off the opposition speaker list.While disapproving the ruckus, CM Suvendu Adhikari stepped in to reduce Ghosh’s suspension to a day.The incident comes barely 24 hours after the two TMC factions exchanged barbs from separate Martyrs’ Day rallies held about two kilometres apart.The assembly disruption started when Ghosh, a Mamata loyalist, left his seat and stood directly in front of Akhruzzaman’s desk as the latter rose to speak during the budget debate.Ghosh asked Akhruzzaman why his name had been removed from the list of speakers for the debate, claiming that although he had been nominated to speak on the home and hill affairs budget, the chief whip had deliberately struck his name off the list.Even as Akhruzzaman continued his speech, Ghosh remained standing in front of him, repeatedly demanding an explanation. As tensions flared. senior legislators, including BJP MLAs, parliamentary affairs minister Shankar Ghosh and higher education minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay, approached the scene.Speaker Rathindra Bose directed Ghosh to return to his seat, warning that “failure to comply would leave him with no option but to have him removed from the House”. However, as Ghosh ignored his warnings, marshals were summoned to escort him out. A scuffle broke out as the MLA resisted and during the struggle, he allegedly fell. Following his removal, other Mamata-loyalist MLAs staged a walkout in protest.Reacting to the incident, CM Suvendu Adhikari said, “There is a limit to uncivilised behaviour. We have sat in the opposition as well, but this kind of conduct is beyond acceptable limits. Such behaviour cannot be tolerated. I condemn this.”Commerce & industry minister Tapas Roy subsequently moved a proposal seeking Ghosh’s suspension for the remainder of the ongoing session. However, the CM intervened, urging the speaker to limit the punishment to a single day.“Let him return tomorrow. If he repeats such behaviour, we can take action then. There is no need to make him famous by suspending him for the entire session,” Adhikari said.Ghosh later said, “Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay had submitted my name. But my name went missing. I sought an explanation from Akhruzzaman.” Reacting to this, Akhruzzaman said that it was his prerogative as the chief whip to decide whose name would be on the list.
