New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee, who has remained loyal to Mamata Banerjee despite a split in the party, was suspended from the Lok Sabha on Wednesday for allegedly using unparliamentary language against a woman member of the house.
Banerjee will remain suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the ongoing Monsoon Session, News18 reported.
Banerjee allegedly faced the disciplinary action after calling a rebel TMC MP a “chor” (thief), triggering a confrontation inside the Lok Sabha chamber after the House had been adjourned amid Opposition protests.
Banerjee was involved in a verbal exchange with MPs, including Mitali Bagh, Shatabdi Roy and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar earlier in the day. All three were previously with the TMC but later joined the National Citizen’s Party of India (NPCI) after breaking away from the party.
Banerjee, who has remained a Mamata loyalist, was reportedly seen arguing with the MPs following the adjournment of the House. The exact trigger for the confrontation was not immediately known.
According to the report, several Opposition MPs intervened to calm the situation. When some of them asked Banerjee what had transpired, he left the Lok Sabha chamber.
Bagh, Ghosh Dastidar and other NCPI MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in his chamber to raise the issue thereafter.
The Speaker asked the NCPI MPs to submit a written complaint regarding the incident, PTI quoted sources as saying
This comes against the backdrop of a major split in the TMC, following the party’s defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. Nearly 20 TMC MPs revolted against the leadership and joined the NCPI.
Since then, they have been sitting separately from TMC members in the Lok Sabha and publicly declared their support for the ruling NDA government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.