Opposition Seeks Withdrawal of Banerjee's Suspension, Speaker to Decide Thursday

Opposition MPs on Wednesday met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to demand the withdrawal of the suspension of Trinamool Congress (TMC) member Kalyan Banerjee. The delegation argued that the altercation that led to the suspension occurred after the House had been adjourned, making the rules inapplicable.

The delegation, led by Congress MP K.C. Venugopal and including Samajwadi Party's Dharmendra Yadav, TMC MPs Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad, Sajda Ahmed, and Pratima Mondal, among others, met the Speaker shortly after Banerjee was suspended for the remainder of the Monsoon Session, according to veteran TMC leader Saugata Roy.

Roy stated that the opposition objected to both the procedure and the grounds for suspension. “When there was a din in the House, the Chair read a suspension notice, and Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for the rest of the session. It was a totally wrong decision,” he told reporters. The delegation pointed out that if the suspension was based on an altercation between Banerjee and rebel TMC MP Mitali Bagh, it could not be sustained as the House was not in session at the time. “Microphones were off, there was nobody in the Chair. Neither any notice was given to Kalyan Banerjee nor was he given the chance to defend himself,” Roy added.

The Speaker reportedly informed the delegation that since the ruling side had moved the motion, he would consult them and announce his decision on Thursday. Roy said, “Our fight will go on,” and noted that the confrontation began after “some people who left our party commented on Kalyan, and he retorted to it.”

Banerjee himself criticized the rebel MPs, saying, “What would they do by suspending me? They can't throw me out of the House. They are 20 MPs… They don't even have 20 votes in Bengal. They are traitors.” He added, “Today is not the last day, tomorrow is also there, day after tomorrow is also there… After one year this government will fall.”

Defending the suspension, rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar alleged that Banerjee had repeatedly used abusive language against women. “Kalyan Banerjee keeps attacking women, uses foul language… He slandered a woman MP, so he was suspended,” she said.

The suspension follows a heated exchange between Banerjee and rebel TMC MPs in the Lok Sabha chamber after the House was adjourned amid opposition protests. This incident is the latest flashpoint after a split in the TMC following its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, with 20 MPs breaking away to form the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and extending support to the ruling NDA. Banerjee remains with the TMC led by Mamata Banerjee.