Bedlam in Tripura Assembly: Speaker suspends Congress MLA for Budget session for 'derogatory' remarks
Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen suspended Sudip Roy Barman, a Congress MLA and former Minister, for the entire ongoing budget session. This action was taken in response to Roy Barman's derogatory remarks against ministers and members of the treasury bench.
During the second half of the opening day Budget session, Roy Barman, without mentioning any specific minister or MLA, narrated a story while seeking the Speaker's permission. He used the phrase "dog barking much more than his master," which angered a group of ministers and MLAs.
The ministers and MLAs, upset by Roy Barman's comments, demanded that the Speaker remove his remarks from the assembly records and asked the Congress MLA to retract his derogatory statement. Despite the pressure, Roy Barman stood firm and refused to withdraw his remarks.
As a result, Chief Minister Manik Saha proposed that Roy Barman be suspended for the entire session until July 13. The Speaker accepted the proposal and announced the suspension accordingly. Following the Speaker's request, Roy Barman, a former BJP MLA and Minister who joined the Congress last year, walked out of the house.
Opposition leader Animesh Debbarma and CPI-M legislature party leader Jitendra Choudhury expressed their disagreement with the Speaker's decision.
Earlier on the same day, the Speaker had initially suspended five opposition MLAs, including Roy Barman, for disrupting the proceedings of the budget session. However, the suspension was later withdrawn by the Speaker during the second half.
In response to the Speaker's decision, members of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), CPI-M, and the Congress staged a walkout, protesting and demanding disciplinary action against BJP MLA Jadab Lal Debnath. Debnath was caught on camera watching an obscene video on his mobile phone during a previous session of the Tripura Assembly in March.
The chaotic scenes unfolded as soon as the session began and Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy started presenting the annual budget for the 2023-24 financial year. TMP, CPI-M, and Congress members, led by their respective leaders, gathered in the well of the house, shouting and demanding action against Debnath. The noisy scene persisted for over 40 minutes until Chief Minister Manik Saha named five MLAs to be suspended for the day.
The Speaker promptly announced the suspension of the five MLAs—Sudip Roy Barman (Congress), Nayan Sarrkar (CPI-M), Brishaketu Debbarma, Nandita Reang, and Ranjit Debbarma (all TMP)—and instructed the watch and ward staff to escort them out of the house. This disruption caused proceedings to be halted for over an hour.
Before the session began, opposition leader Animesh Debbarma submitted an adjournment motion to discuss Debnath's behavior, but the Speaker rejected the motion, leading to further protests from lawmakers.
Upon entering the house, Congress MLA Roy Barman sprinkled Ganga water on the table and floor in an attempt to purify the assembly premises.
The incident involving Debnath watching an obscene video during a session had gone viral on social media, attracting widespread criticism. Debnath, who is 55 years old and also serves as the secretary of BJP's Tripura state unit, claimed that the site automatically opened when he received a phone call, and he promptly closed it.
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