"We Are With Sandeshkhali" T-Shirts Lead To Suspension Of Six BJP MLAs Including Suvendu Adhikari From West Bengal Assembly

Six Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, were suspended on Monday (12 February) for the remainder of the State Assembly session.

Expressing support for Sandeshkhali protestors against Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, the BJP leaders entered the State Assembly wearing T-shirts that said, "We are with Sandeshkhali".

When Speaker Biman Banerjee asked Adhikari to take the T-shirts off, he denied it saying that since there were no offensive words written on them, why they should take off the T-shirts.

The BJP leaders demanded a statement from CM Banerjee on the Sandeshkhali incident and sat on the floor of the Well raising slogans, after which they were suspended for "unruly and disorderly behaviour inside the Assembly."

The motion for suspension was moved by Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs of West Bengal under Rule 348 of the State Assembly and was subsequently passed.

The suspended MLAs, along with Adhikari are Mihir Goswami, Shankar Ghosh, Tapasi Mondol, Agnimitra Paul and Bankim Ghosh. After suspension, Adhikari said that they were happy.

"For raising the voice in support of women, suspension is a very small thing. Even if they put us in jails or hang us, BJP will continue to raise its voice against those who loot women's dignity," he added.

Adhikari expressed his desire to visit Sandeshkhali himself but said that due to the imposition of Section 144, only four women BJP MLAs will go there. He also said that they are ready to face police action.

Thursday and Friday (8 and 9 February) saw large mobs of women armed with choppers, machetes, and sticks attacked properties belonging to TMC leaders in Sandeshkhali. A police crackdown was launched after that.

For more details, read: Ground Report: What Led To The Uprising Against Trinamool In Bengal’s Sandeshkhali