TMC MP Sougata Roy condemned Kalyan Banerjee's suspension from the Lok Sabha, calling it a procedural injustice. A joint opposition protested to the Speaker, who has assured a decision. Banerjee himself hit out at rebel TMC MPs.
Opposition Protests 'Procedural Injustice' in MP's Suspension
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sougata Roy on Wednesday condemned the suspension of fellow party leader Kalyan Banerjee from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the Monsoon Session, calling the move a procedural injustice and demanding its immediate withdrawal. The action followed a motion moved by the ruling party after an alleged verbal exchange involving Kalyan Banerjee and NCPI MP Mitali Bag (and other women members) during an adjournment period.
Speaking on behalf of a joint opposition delegation, Roy argued that applying Rule 374(2) to an incident that occurred while the House was not in formal session sets an improper precedent. Roy highlighted that Banerjee was provided no prior notice or opportunity to present his defence before the suspension resolution was put to a vote. "Today, after 2 PM, the acting chairman read out a notice where Kalyan Banerjee was suspended from the House for the remainder of the session. All of us were present in the house could not make out what the chairman was saying. We want to point out that if the chairman was mentioning the altercation that took place between Kalyan Banerjee and Mitali Bag. The house was not in session at that time. Microphones were off. There was nobody in the chair. No notice was given to Kalyan Banerjee, nor was given a chance to defend himself. The motion to suspend him is out of order as the House was not in session," he said.
The opposition maintained that invoking rules governing house order (such as Rule 374) is invalid for exchanges occurring when the House is adjourned, microphones are turned off, and the Chair is vacant. "Rule 374(2) does not apply to what happened in an empty house. We urge that the suspension is withdrawn forthwith. We spoke to the speaker that this is out of order. He said all right, since the ruling party moved the motion, I shall talk to them and announce my decision tomorrow morning," said Roy.
Representatives from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, and Tamil Nadu parties (including the DMK) met with the Speaker to voice their protest. According to Roy, the Speaker assured the delegation that he would consult with the ruling party and announce a formal decision the following morning. "Whatever happened was injustice and we raised our voice against that injustice to the Speaker. Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and many parties of Tamil Nadu were with us," he added.
Suspended MP Hits Out at Rebel MPs
Meanwhile, Kalyan Banerjee, who was suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the Monsoon Session following a complaint to the Speaker over alleged inappropriate behaviour and intemperate language against women MPs, hit out at rebel TMC MPs who have joined the NCPI. Calling the rebel MPs "traitors" and "dishonest people", Banerjee claimed that they had no support in West Bengal. "What will they get by suspending me from here?... It is a party of barely twenty people. They (20 TMC rebel MPs) held a meeting in Kolkata after a month and a half. They do not even have twenty voters. They have nothing. Not a single person has voted for them in West Bengal...They are all traitors and dishonest people...The government will fall after a year," he told reporters.
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