Trinamool, Left MLAs trade blows in West Bengal assembly

Kolkata, Dec 11: Members of the ruling

(TMC) and opposition

clashed in the

Assembly on Tuesday, leaving three persons injured. Speaker of the Lok Sabha Biman Banerjee suspended three Left MLAs.

The injured MLAs were CPI(M)'s Gourango Chatterjee, who received head injuries and Mahmuda Begum and Pulok Roy of the TMC. The TMC members were hit in their chest and leg, respectively.

The situation worsened after the Left members, who tried to initiate an adjourment motion on the mushrooming of the chit funds across the state rushed to Speaker Biman Banerjee's podium and started hurling slogans. Senior ministers Partha Chatterjee, Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim came to the rescue of the Speaker.

Soon a section of the TMC MLAs confronted their Left counterparts and sensing trouble, both Chatterjee and Hakim tried to separate them. CPI(M)'s Nazmul Haque took away the microphone of the Speaker and the latter adjourned the House till 1.30 pm. The Congress members in the House were asked to join the protests by the Left but did not join.

Trouble resumed when after the House reassembled, Partha Chatterjee demanded action against the Left leaders who shouted against the Speaker and snatched his microphone.

The Speaker, later, suspended three Left MLAs and continued the normal business of the House and discussion took place on the West Bengal Scheduled Caste and Tribal Identification Amendment Bill, 2012.

Congress MLAs, however, walked out protesting violence in the House while the Left members staged a protest outside the Assembgly chamber after pulling out.

Leader of the Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra said his party wanted to bring an adjournment on chit funds that collected Rs 1,400 crore with backing of the ruling party. He also alleged that indecent remarks had been made against Jharkhand Party member Deblina Hembram, who was badly heckled. Government chief whip Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, however, denied the allegations.

Chatterjee also alleged that the opposition party had brought in goondas into the House to tarnish its image. He also said that the mobile phone opf one of his party MLAs was stolen in the chaos.

OneIndia News