Uproar over education scam in Assembly, BJP MLA suspended
The Statesman | 17 June 2025
West Bengal’s state Assembly descended into chaos on Monday after Speaker Biman Banerjee suspended BJP MLA Manoj Oraon for one day amid uproar over alleged corruption in the education sector. The incident sparked a walkout by BJP legislators and led to dramatic scenes on the Assembly steps, where they staged a protest with a symbolic Tulsi plant.
The trouble began when BJP MLAs affiliated with the party’s teachers’ cell submitted an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the current state of education in West Bengal, including the fate of nearly 26,000 teachers whose jobs were invalidated by a Supreme Court verdict. However, Speaker Banerjee denied the motion, citing the matter as sub judice. Angered by the ruling, BJP legislators erupted in protest, shouting slogans and disrupting proceedings. The situation escalated further when chief minister Mamata Banerjee began addressing the House on what she described as the Centre’s continued financial neglect of Bengal.
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The BJP MLAs shouted over her remarks, prompting the Speaker to suspend Manoj Oraon, MLA from Kumargram, for disorderly conduct. Marshals were called in to escort Oraon out of the Assembly chamber—a move that triggered an immediate walkout by all BJP members. They later sat in protest at the foot of the Assembly building’s main staircase, placing a Tulsi plant in front of them as a symbol of moral purity and resistance. Speaking to reporters outside the House, Manoj Oraon accused the ruling Trinamul Congress (TMC) of silencing Opposition voices to cover up large-scale corruption in teacher recruitment. “The Mamata Banerjee government is afraid to distinguish between qualified and unqualified teachers because TMC leaders have accepted huge bribes from unqualified teachers’ sides,” Oraon said.
BJP legislators said the suspension of Manoj Oraon was yet another attempt by the ruling party to muzzle dissent. “Whenever we raise legitimate issues inside the Assembly, the government suspends us,” Manoj Oraon, the suspended MLA, said. With tensions running high and no resolution in sight, the legislative week in Bengal began on a stormy note—suggesting that confrontations over corruption and transparency in education will remain at the heart of the state’s political battle in the coming days.
Today, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly witnessed a shameful assault on Democracy. The Speaker, in a blatant misuse of power, suspended prominent ST Leader and BJP MLA Manoj Kumar Oraon. His only “crime”? He wanted to raise critical issues on the floor of the Assembly; the plight of Untainted Teachers losing their jobs, the deplorable state of education in West Bengal, and the rampant corruption of the TMC government behind these failures, said another BJP MLA.
Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, condemned the one day suspension of Manoj Oraon by the Speaker. “This suspension of the opposition legislator is not just unfair, but a deliberate attempt by the TMC to silence the truth by gagging the voice of the Opposition on the floor of the Legislative Assembly. The Speaker’s actions expose a clear agenda; to shield the corrupt practices of the ruling party and prevent any discussion that holds them accountable. This is a Dark Day for Democracy in West Bengal. I strongly condemn this autocratic move and stand firmly with Shri Manoj Kumar Oraon. The BJP will not be silenced. We will continue to fight for the rights of Teachers, Students, Doctors and every Citizen of West Bengal who deserves a corruption free & transparent Government,” he tweeted on X-handle.