Kalyan Banerjee was suspended from Lok Sabha for the Monsoon Session.
The action followed alleged “unsavoury” remarks against women MPs from NCPI.
Rebel MPs complained to Speaker Om Birla after the heated confrontation.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended from the Lok Sabha on Wednesday for the remainder of the ongoing Monsoon Session over his alleged use of “unsavory” langauage against women MPs of rebel faction of TMC.
The action followed after Banerjee allegedly called a rebel TMC MP “chor” (thief), leading to an altercation inside the the Lok Sabha chamber after the House was adjourned amid opposition protests, news agency PTI reported.
Banerjee got involved in a heated verbal exchange with Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) MPs Mitali Bagh, Shatabdi Roy and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. The three lawmakers were earlier part of the TMC but joined the NCPI after a group of MPs broke away from the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
Several opposition lawmakers stepped in to defuse the situation. Banerjee subsequently left the Lok Sabha chamber after being approached by MPs seeking details of what had happened.
Following the exchange, Mitali Bagh, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and other NCPI MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in his chamber and raised the matter with him.
Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was chairing the proceedings afterm the House resumed at 2 pm eferred to a complaint filed by members with the speaker against Banerjee and said his remarks had hurt the dignity of the House.
He then asked Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to read out a resolution seeking the consent of the House to suspend Banerjee. The House then agreed to suspend Banerjee.
The incident comes amid continuing tensions following a major split within the Trinamool Congress.
Kakoli Das Welcomes The Decision
Rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh welcomed the decision, " Today he was abusing a woman. Suspending Kalyan Banerjee for the entire Monsoon Session is absolutely justified," she said,
After the party’s defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, nearly 20 TMC MPs rebelled against the leadership and joined the NCPI. The breakaway lawmakers later began occupying separate seats in the Lok Sabha, distancing themselves from the TMC’s parliamentary group.
The rebel MPs have also publicly extended support to the NDA government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, deepening the political and organisational divide within the Trinamool Congress.
