Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 23 : West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following the suspension of TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh from the Assembly, saying the party is "collapsing" and its leaders are acting out of "desperation."
Speaking to the reporters regarding the disciplinary action taken by the Assembly Speaker, Dilip Ghosh dismissed Kunal Ghosh's conduct, labelling him a political novice attempting to manufacture a "revolutionary" image.
"Kunal Ghosh wants to be a revolutionary. He's a first-time MLA, and the faction he leads has no one behind him; he's the sole leader, fighting among themselves," the Minister stated.
Defending the Speaker's decision to suspend the leaders, Ghosh stated that the move was necessary to maintain the decorum of the House, which he alleged was being repeatedly compromised by the duo.
"The Speaker did the right thing. He (Kunal Ghosh) was expelled because he was repeatedly causing disturbances. This illness of Kalyan Banerjee's isn't new... Repeated complaints have been received by the Speaker regarding his behaviour. These people have lost their temper. The party is collapsing... They're doing all this out of desperation, " Ghosh added.
Kunal Ghosh was suspended from the Assembly for the day after he interrupted rebel TMC Chief Whip Akhruzzaman during the Home and Hill Affairs budget discussion. After the Speaker's order, marshals forcefully took Kunal Ghosh out of the House. Minister Tapas Roy proposed to the Speaker to suspend Kunal Ghosh for this session.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari termed Ghosh's behaviour "not acceptable".
"This type of behaviour is not acceptable. We are also in an opposition post, but there is some responsibility. Akhruzzaman is a senior MLA, and his father was also a long-time MLA," CM Adhikari said
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Kalyan Banerjee 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, and 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.