Kolkata, June 19 (IANS) The West Bengal assembly, on Thursday, that is the ninth day of the on-going monsoon session of the house, witnessed an unprecedented development where the speeches of all the BJP or the opposition legislators during a discussion on a particular bill were expunged from proceedings by the speaker of the house.

The West Bengal Sales Tax (Amendment Bill), 2025, which was moved on the floor of the house on Wednesday, came up for discussion on Thursday afternoon. Thereafter, the ruling and opposition legislators participated in the discussion one after another.

But when the West Bengal minister of state for finance (independent charge) Chandrima Bhattacharya, rose as the last speaker on the discussion, the BJP legislator left the floor of the house.

Bhattacharya took exception to this action on the part of the BJP legislators and claimed that it was against legislative decorum that the opposition legislators, after participating in any debate or discussion, would leave the floor of the house when the minister concerned would rise to give his or her reply.

“This is not acceptable. In the future, our legislator would also leave the floor of the house when they would be addressing the house,” Bhattacharya was heard saying.

The Speaker of the House Biman Bandopadhyay initially said that if the same thing was repeated in the future, then the speeches of all the BJP legislators during discussion on a subject will be expunged from the proceedings.

However, the state Parliamentary Affairs minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay insisted that the speeches of all the BJP legislators during the discussion on the West Bengal Sales Tax (Amendment Bill), 2025 should be expunged immediately.

Thereafter, the Speaker expunged the speeches of all the BJP legislators stating that there was a specific Rule of the House in the matter.

The BJP legislators, however, claimed that they had informed the House in advance that they would leave the floor early. They also alleged that copies of the Bill were circulated to them at the last moment, hardly leaving any time for them to study.

–IANS

src/pgh