Four BJP MLAs — Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, Agnimitra Paul, Vishwanath Karak, and Bankim Ghosh — were suspended from the House on Monday.

Sources said the suspension for 30 days followed a motion raised by the BJP which alleged that Saraswati Puja was “not allowed” in the state.

Adhikari expressed strong dissatisfaction with the move, stating, “Useless Speaker… The Chief Minister doesn’t come. She keeps an eye on us whenever we’re not in the house, then she appears. Four times, they have suspended BJP MLAs. (It happened) for five months in 2022, then for one month, then for two months. For a total of eight months, we have been kept out of the House. We are the only opposition. The House belongs to the Opposition. We have won on the Hindus’ vote. We will raise our voices for them. This government is a minority’s government, it is anti-Hindu.”

Women MLAs, led by Agnimitra Paul, had brought an adjournment motion to discuss the “obstruction” of Saraswati Puja. However, when Speaker Biman Banerjee did not allow the matter to be debated, a major uproar ensued, resulting in BJP MLAs walking out of the Assembly.

Banerjee said, “A motion was moved by TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh, and the way the Opposition leader threw documents on my chair is very condemnable. Ghosh moved a motion that they should be suspended. A vote took place and based on that, it was decided to suspend them for 30 days.”

Suvendu Adhikari further said, “They have intentionally targeted those who participate well in debates and Question and Answer sessions. Agnimitra Paul was protesting from her seat—why has she been suspended?… Since the (Chief Minister) will respond to the Governor’s speech tomorrow, the leader of the Opposition and three other vocal BJP MLAs have been kept out of the house so that the CM can speak without any objection.”