West Bengal Assembly: Suvendu Adhikari, Agnimitra Paul slam suspension, call it 'illegal'

Feb 18, 2025

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 18 : Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday criticized the suspension of four BJP MLAs for the remaining session of the Assembly, calling it "illegal."
"These people have suspended us illegally... This is an anti-Hindu government. We will protest outside the Assembly," Adhikari said while addressing the media.
BJP leader Agnimitra Paul also criticised Mamata Banerjee and speaker of Assembly, said, "The Chief Minister and Speaker cannot suppress our voice by suspending us... We have protested for Saraswati Puja and will do so thousands of times. There will be a protest against the injustice that is happening ..."
Earlier on Monday, LoP Suvendu Adhikari and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs Agnimitra Paul, Biswanath Karak and Bankim Chandra Ghosh were suspended from the State assembly for the rest of the session.
The suspension comes due to the misconduct to the Chair of the Speaker.
Meanwhile, BJP MLAs walked out of the state assembly to protest against the state government over the Saraswati Puja issue.
BJP leader Agnimitra Paul lashed out at CM Mamata Banerjee and called her government 'Anti Hindu'.
She further said that Hindus were being cornered in West Bengal, stating that jihadis were disrupting the Saraswati Puja.
Speaking to ANI Paul said "Mamata Banerjee's government is anti-Hindu. Everyone knows it. The Hindus are being cornered in West Bengal...We are witnessing that at various places in the state, jihadis are disrupting Saraswati Puja. They are not letting us perform our puja. We have to go to the court for every minute thing, but does it make sense to go to the court for a mere puja ritual?... So, we have brought an Adjournment Motion in the Assembly..."
Earlier on February 2, the Calcutta High Court directed police to provide security for Saraswati Puja celebrations at the Jogesh Chandra Law College in Kolkata.
Justice Joy Sengupta instructed that a Joint Commissioner-level officer monitor the situation to maintain law and order.
"This is an application, inter alia, praying for a direction upon the State and the College authorities to provide adequate security and protection in the Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri College and the Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College situated at Prince Anwar Shah Road, Kolkata and to ensure that no outsider can forcefully enter into the college campus and hamper the free ingress and egress to the Saraswati Pujas that are to take place there," the Calcutta HC said.
This decision comes after students accused an outsider, Mohammed Shabbir Ali, of threatening them and attempting to prevent the celebration. The students expressed relief at the High Court's order, stating that they have the right to celebrate their religion.