Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 13 (ANI): The West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Monday passed the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 that sought to replace Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the chancellor of all state-run universities.

Chennai Mar 28 PTI The West Bengal Assembly witnessed bedlam on Monday marked by exchange of fisticuffs between TMC and BJP MLAs over the Birbhum killings in yet another instance of acrimony in a House of elected representatives in the country Following are the other well-known episodes of fracas involving the Treasury and Opposition benches in different states Tamil Nadu 1989 The House witnessed unruly scenes when the DMK was in the saddle The then Leader of Opposition late J Jayalalithaa was allegedly attacked and humiliated by ruling party members during a debate and her leaving the House with disheveled hair amid a security ring by party MLAs remains a stark picture in TN politics Jayalalithaa vowed to return to the Assembly as the states Chief Minister and did so two years later Tamil Nadu 2017 During the trust vote of the K Palaniswami-led AIADMK government pandemonium broke out inside the House and some opposition members even climbed atop the Speakers podium and sat on the chair while the opposition DMK members were physically evicted Then LoP and DMK chief M K Stalin and Speaker P Dhanapal said their shirts were torn in the melee Maharashtra 2009 Four MLAs of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS were suspended for four years for attacking Samajwadi Party member Abu Azmi who took his oath as a legislator in Hindi As the new MLAs were being sworn in legislators of the Raj Thackeray-led party pounced on Azmi who was pushed and slapped until security guards were able to rescue him and escort him out of the House Thackeray had earlier appealed to MLAs to take their oath in Marathi a veiled warning aimed at Azmi who repeatedly asked for Hindi to be added to the language of the legislature Parliament 2021 Rajya Sabha witnessed ugly scenes as some MPs tore papers jostled with the marshals and attempted to go near the presiding officers chair and some marshals were allegedly attacked even as the House was adjourned sine die two days ahead of its scheduled end of the monsoon session in August Twelve opposition MPs were subsequently suspended in connection with the incident Kerala 2015 The assembly had witnessed unprecedented scenes as then opposition LDF members tried to prevent Finance Minister K M Mani who was facing charges in the bar bribery scam from presenting the state budget The speakers chair was flung from the podium while electronic equipment like computers keyboards and mikes on the desk of the presiding officer were also allegedly damaged Uttar Pradesh 2017 Governor Ram Naik was pelted with paper balls by the opposition during an address the House witnessed slogan-shouting and trooping into the well by opposition members even as an SP member blew a whistle through the 35-minute address to ensure that the governors voice was drowned out Uttar Pradesh 2013 It was a free-for-all in the well when BJP raised a storm in response to Samajwadi Party minister Ambika Chaudharys aggressive remarks against a party MLA Uttar Pradesh 1997 A brawl erupted when one Bahujan Samaj Party MLA allegedly threw a small loudspeaker at the Speakers chair in the course of a protest against the BJP government Microphone stands paperweights glass shards and furniture were used by members to attack each other leaving many grievously injured Jammu and Kashmir 2019 House witnessed noisy scenes during a discussion on the implementation of Goods and Services Tax GST with opposition members rushing towards the chair prompting adjournments Parliament 2014 Passage of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act that paved the way for creation of Telangana state saw acrimonious scenes such as pushing and jostling between MPs PTI ABN SNS VT SA HDA HDA

Chennai Mar 28 PTI The West Bengal Assembly witnessed bedlam on Monday marked by exchange of fisticuffs between TMC and BJP MLAs over the Birbhum killings but this was not the first instance of acrimony in a House of elected representatives in the country Following are the other well-known episodes of fracas involving the Treasury and Opposition benches in different states Tamil Nadu 1989 The House witnessed unruly scenes when the DMK was in the ruling saddle The then Leader of Opposition late J Jayalalithaa was allegedly attacked and humiliated by ruling party members during a debate and her leaving the House with disheveled hair amid a security ring by party MLAs remains a stark picture in TN politics Jayalalithaa vowed to return to the Assembly as Chief Minister and did so two years later Tamil Nadu 2017 During the trust vote of the K Palaniswami-led AIADMK government pandemonium broke out inside the House and some opposition members even climbed atop the Speakers podium and sat on the chair while the opposition DMK members were evicted physically Then LoP and DMK chief M K Stalin and Speaker P Dhanapal said their shirts were torn in the melee Maharashtra 2009 Four MLAs of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS were suspended for four years for attacking Samajwadi Party member Abu Azmi for taking his oath as a legislator in Hindi As the new MLAs were being sworn in MLAs of the Raj Thackeray-led party pounced on Azmi who was pushed and slapped until security guards were able to rescue him and escort him out of the House Thackeray had earlier appealed to MLAs to take their oath in Marathi a veiled warning aimed at Azmi who repeatedly asked for Hindi to be added to the language of the legislature Parliament 2021 Rajya Sabha witnessed ugly scenes as some MPs tore papers jostled with the marshals and attempted to go near the presiding officers chair and some marshals were allegedly attacked even as the House was adjourned sine die two days ahead of its scheduled end of the monsoon session in August Twelve opposition MPs were subsequently suspended in connection with the incident Kerala 2015 The assembly had witnessed unprecedented scenes on March 13 as then opposition LDF members tried to prevent Finance Minister K M Mani who was facing charges in the bar bribery scam from presenting the state budget The speakers chair was flung from the podium while electronic equipment like computers keyboards and mikes on the desk of the presiding officer were also allegedly damaged Uttar Pradesh 2017 Governor Ram Naik was pelted with paper balls by the opposition during an address the House witnessed slogan-shouting and trooping into the well by opposition members even as an SP member blew a whistle through the 35-minute address to ensure that the governors voice was drowned out Jammu and Kashmir 2019 House witnessed noisy scenes during a discussion on the implementation of Goods and Services Tax GST with opposition members rushing towards the chair prompting adjournments PTI VT SA SA HDA HDA

Chennai Mar 28 PTI The West Bengal Assembly witnessed bedlam on Monday marked by exchange of fisticuffs between TMC and BJP MLAs over the Birbhum killings but this was not the first instance of acrimony in a House of elected representatives in the country Following are the other well-known episodes of fracas involving the Treasury and Opposition benches in different states Tamil Nadu 1989 The House witnessed unruly scenes when the DMK was in the ruling saddle The then Leader of Opposition late J Jayalalithaa was allegedly attacked and humiliated by ruling party members during a debate and her leaving the House with disheveled hair amid a security ring by party MLAs remains a stark picture in TN politics Jayalalithaa vowed to return to the Assembly as Chief Minister and did so two years later Tamil Nadu 2017 During the trust vote of the K Palaniswami-led AIADMK government pandemonium broke out inside the House and some opposition members even climbed atop the Speakers podium and sat on the chair while the opposition DMK members were evicted physically Then LoP and DMK chief M K Stalin and Speaker P Dhanapal said their shirts were torn in the melee Maharashtra 2009 Four MLAs of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS were suspended for four years for attacking Samajwadi Party member Abu Azmi for taking his oath as a legislator in Hindi As the new MLAs were being sworn in MLAs of the Raj Thackeray-led party pounced on Azmi who was pushed and slapped until security guards were able to rescue him and escort him out of the House Thackeray had earlier appealed to MLAs to take their oath in Marathi a veiled warning aimed at Azmi who repeatedly asked for Hindi to be added to the language of the legislature Parliament 2021 Rajya Sabha witnessed ugly scenes as some MPs tore papers jostled with the marshals and attempted to go near the presiding officers chair and some marshals were allegedly attacked even as the House was adjourned sine die two days ahead of its scheduled end of the monsoon session in August Twelve opposition MPs were subsequently suspended in connection with the incident Kerala 2015 The assembly had witnessed unprecedented scenes on March 13 as then opposition LDF members tried to prevent Finance Minister K M Mani who was facing charges in the bar bribery scam from presenting the state budget The speakers chair was flung from the podium while electronic equipment like computers keyboards and mikes on the desk of the presiding officer were also allegedly damaged Uttar Pradesh 2017 Governor Ram Naik was pelted with paper balls by the opposition during an address the House witnessed slogan-shouting and trooping into the well by opposition members even as an SP member blew a whistle through the 35-minute address to ensure that the governors voice was drowned out Uttar Pradesh 1997 Brawl erupted when one Bahujan Samaj Party MLA allegedly threw a small loudspeaker at the Speakers chair in course of protest against the BJP government Microphone stands paperweights glass shards and furniture were used by members to attack each other leaving many grievously injured In 2013 it was free-for-all in the well when BJP raised a storm in response to SP minister Ambika Chaudharys aggressive remarks against a party MLA Jammu and Kashmir 2019 House witnessed noisy scenes during a discussion on the implementation of Goods and Services Tax GST with opposition members rushing towards the chair prompting adjournments PTI ABN SNS VT SA SA SA

Kolkata Mar 28 PTI The West Bengal assembly plunged into chaos on Monday as legislators of the TMC and the BJP came to blows after heated arguments over the Birbhum killings prompting the Speaker to suspend five saffron party MLAs including Leader of Opposition Suvendu AdhikariThe last day of the budget session ended in a shocking display of political animosity as MLAs of both sides engaged in fisticuffs leading to the hospitalisation of some of the legislatorsShortly after the House assembled at 11 am BJP MLAs trooped to the well demanding a statement by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the worsening law and order situation in the wake of the carnage in Birbhum district where eight people were burnt to death last weekSpeaker Biman Banerjee tried to pacify the BJP MLAs who continued with sloganeering inside the House leading to a war of words with legislators of the treasury bench and an eventual ugly scuffle Adhikari then walked out of the assembly claiming that TMC MLAs roughed up party legislators MLAs are not safe even inside the assembly At least 8-10 of our legislators including Chief Whip Manoj Tigga were beaten up by some TMC MLAs as we demanded that the CM make a statement in the House on the law and order issue Adhikari said Senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim claimed that the BJP is staging a drama to create chaos in the assembly A few of our MLAs were injured inside the House We condemn the conduct of the BJP he said Among those who were injured in the melee were TMC MLA Asit Majumdar and BJP chief whip Manoj Tigga both of whom were taken to hospital Majumdar claimed that Adhikari had punched him on the nose a charge denied by the BJP leader The saffron party legislators are faking injuries to hide their misdeeds Hakim allegedThe BJP claimed that Tigga has suffered a fracture on his chest and was admitted to a private hospital along with six other BJP MLAsAdhikari along with BJP legislators Dipak Burman Shankar Ghosh Manoj Tigga and Narahari Mahato were suspended by the Speaker for the entire session till the House is prorogued Prorogation is discontinuing a session of Parliament or a Legislative Assembly without dissolving it What happened today is completely unacceptable How the five MLAs behaved with the women staff of the House is a shame for parliamentary democracy the Speaker told reportersBanerjee also said that the extent of damage to articles within the assembly hall in the scuffle would be assessed and appropriate action taken Earlier this month two BJP MLAs Sudip Mukhopadhyay and Mihir Goswami were suspended from the ongoing state Budget session for creating disturbances in the House during Governor Jagdeep Dhankhars speech on March 7 Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said BJP leaders tried to create disturbance inside and outside the House Though the session ended today they will continue with their disruptive politics I urge everyone to be on guard to foil the game plan of the BJP They are demanding the CMs statement but when she speaks in the House they create disturbance in the House Chatterjee saidLater speaking to reporters in Darjeeling Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declined to comment on the incident saying matters related to the assembly is the Speakers prerogativeThe BJP however denied all allegations and accused the ruling TMC of letting loose a reign of terror in the assembly They are running the government in an authoritarian manner We will not tolerate this Adhikari said adding he would meet the Speaker with an appeal to revoke the suspensionBJP state president Sukanta Majumdar alleged in a press conference that the attack on the party MLAs the Assembly was pre-planned and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is behind thisThat is the reason she chose not to attend the last day of the budget session and instead travelled to north Bengal he claimedHe said the party will organise protest rallies across the state from TuesdayLater in the evening the entire top brass of the state BJP unit hit the streets and took out a rally in central Kolkata protesting against the assault on its MLAsThe Speaker is acting in the most partisan manner He is a shame for parliamentary democracy We have decided to shift some of our injured MLAs to AIIMS for better treatment as the state government is pressuring the private hospital to release them Sukanta Majumdar saidHe said the BJP MLAs would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week in New Delhi and complain about the lawlessness in the stateThe incident brought back memories of opposition Left and ruling TMC legislators trading blows in December 2012 on the floor of the house leading to injuries on both sides PTI SUS PNT NN NN

Kolkata Mar 28 PTI The budget session of the West Bengal Assembly ended in an exchange of fisticuffs on Monday as legislators of the TMC and the BJP came to blows after heated arguments over the Birbhum killings prompting the speaker to suspend five saffron party MLAs including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari who was also accused of busting the nose of a rival MLAShortly after the House assembled at 11 am it plunged into pandemonium as BJP MLAs trooped to the well demanding a statement by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the worsening law and order situation in the wake of the tragedy in Birbhum district where eight people were burnt alive last weekSpeaker Biman Banerjee tried to pacify the BJP MLAs who continued with sloganeering inside the House leading to a war of words with legislators of the treasury bench and an eventual ugly scuffleAdhikari then walked out of the assembly claiming that TMC MLAs roughed up party legislatorsMLAs are not safe even inside the assembly At least 8-10 of our legislators were beaten up including Chief Whip Manoj Tigga by some TMC MLAs as we demanded that the CM make a statement in the House on the law and order issue Adhikari saidTMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim claimed the BJP is staging a drama to create chaos in the assembly Few of our MLAs were injured inside the House We condemn the conduct of the BJP he saidAmong those who were injured in the melee were TMC MLA Asit Majumdar and BJP chief whip Manoj Tigga both of whom were taken to hospitalMajumdar claimed that Adhikari had punched him on the nose but the BJP leader denied the chargeAdhikari along with BJP legislators Dipak Burman Shankar Ghosh Manoj Tigga and Narahari Mahato were suspended by the Speaker for the entire session till the House is proroguedProrogation is discontinuing a session of Parliament or a legislative assembly without dissolving itWhat happened today is completely unacceptable The way in which the five MLAs behaved with the women staff of the House is a shame for parliamentary democracy he told reportersBanerjee then adjourned the assembly sine dieThe BJP MLAs even assaulted female staff of the assembly and misbehaved with them The saffron party legislators are faking injuries to hide their misdeeds Hakim allegedSpeaking in a similar vein Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said BJP leaders tried to create disturbance both inside and outside the HouseThough the session ended today they will continue with their disruptive politics I urge everyone to be on guard to foil the game plan of BJP They are demanding the CMs statement but when she speaks in the House they create disturbance in the House Chatterjee saidThe BJP however denied all allegations and accused the ruling TMC of letting loose a reign of terror in the assemblyThey are running the government in an authoritarian manner We will not tolerate this Adhikari said adding he will meet the Speaker with an appeal to revoke the suspension PTI SUSPNT RBT RBT

Kolkata Mar 28 PTI The West Bengal Assembly plunged into pandemonium on Monday as ruling TMC and BJP MLAs exchanged blows after saffron party legislators demanded a statement by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over worsening law and order situation in the stateAround 25 BJP MLAs led by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari then walked out of the assembly claiming that several party legislators were roughed up by TMC MLAs inside the HouseMLAs are not safe even inside the assembly At least 8-10 of our legislators were beaten up including Chief Whip Manoj Tigga by some TMC MLAs as we demanded that the CM make a statement in the House on the law and order issue Adhikari saidTMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim however told reporters that the BJP is staging a drama to create chaos in the assemblyFew of our MLAs were injured inside the House We condemn the conduct of the BJP he said PTI SUS RBT RBT

Kolkata Mar 28 PTI Five BJP MLAs including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari were suspended by West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay on Monday for their alleged unruly conduct in the HouseAdhikari along with BJP legislators Dipak Burman Shankar Ghosh Manoj Tigga and Narahari Mahato were suspended by the Speaker for future sessions this yearEarlier in the day the assembly plunged into pandemonium as ruling TMC and BJP MLAs exchanged blows after saffron party legislators demanded a statement by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over worsening law and order situation in the stateAround 25 BJP MLAs led by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari then walked out of the assembly claiming that several party legislators were roughed up by TMC MLAs inside the HouseTMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim however told reporters that the BJP is staging a drama to create chaos in the assemblyHe also said that some Trinamool Congress legislators were injured during the scuffle that took place inside the House PTI SUS RBT RBT

Kolkata Mar 24 PTI Opposition BJP MLAs staged a walkout in the Assembly on Thursday after the speaker refused to grant time for a discussion on the recent Birbhum killingsAs soon as the members assembled Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari along with other saffron party MLAs rushed to the well of the House demanding a discussion on the violence in Birbhum that claimed eight left eight dead including two childrenThe saffron party legislators held placards that had Manush mara sarkar aar nei dorkar we do not want this government which kills people written on themAs speaker Biman Banerjee turned down the demand the BJP MLAs staged a walkoutReplying to a debate on the budgetary grant of Rs 17602 crore for her department minister of state for health and family welfare Chandrima Bhattacharya said opposition members were keener on creating a ruckus than participating in the discussion on governance-related mattersShe pointed out that the Left Front government during 2010-2011 had allocated just Rs 3584 crore for the health department and the grant under the TMC rule swelled to Rs 17602 croreBhattacharya also said that the Mamata Banerjee government had to incur huge expenditure for managing the situation that arose out of COVID-19 pandemicShe noted that the government set up oxygen plants in 27 hospitals and administered COVID-19 vaccines -- including the first second and booster doses -- to 139 crore peopleShe rued that the opposition failed to see these achievements of the TMC government and preferred to criticise the dispensation over other mattersThe minister further stated that the TMC government spent Rs 4092 crore for its health scheme -- Swasthya Sathi which offers cover for secondary and tertiary careShe claimed that the Centres Ayushman Bharat health scheme was a copy of Swasthya SathiBhattacharya maintained that the number of nursing training schools nursing colleges and multi-super speciality hospitals has also risen in the state over the past decadeThe budget for the health department was passed by a voice vote during the day PTI DC RMS RMS

Kolkata Jan 19 PTI BJPs leader of the opposition in the Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees ambitions of being projected as a national leader by contending her planned campaign in Uttar Pradesh on behalf the Samajwadi Dal would boomerang Adhikari reacting to an announcement that Banerjee would campaign for Akhilesh Yadav as part of a show of opposition unity in the countrys most populous state which is going to the polls in February-March claimed on Wednesday that the Sanatan Hindu community would reject the chief minister given her appeasement politics for one community in Bengal Her campaign in UP will do more harm than good for SP the former aide to Banerjee claimed Adhikari had on several instances in the past too played what analysts see as Hindu card while accused the chief minister of appeasing minorities Reacting to Adhikaris statement TMC state spokesman Kunal Ghosh said Whatever Suvendu has become today in his political career and as a former minister he owes to Mamata Banerjee However he doesnt have any sense of gratitude Ghosh pointed out Banerjees popularity and acceptability across the country had risen after TMCs landslide victory in last years Bengal Assembly poll BJPs star campaigner Yogi Adityanath had on the other hand addressed several sparsely attended meetings during the Bengal polls as he had no standing among its people he said Adhikari had been one of Banerjees lieutenants in the Nandigram movement against the setting up of a chemical hub by the then Left Front government by displacing farmers He rose rapidly through the TMC ranks and was considered close to the chief minister However he defected to BJP months before the West Bengal assembly polls and managed to defend the Adhikari familys pocket borough in Nandigram by a slender margin in a controversial election against the TMC supremo The Nandigram legislator said Her presence will be counterproductive as brutality in post-poll violence in Bengal against political opponents has shaken the conscience of the nation and made the common man antagonistic to Trinamool Congress TMC does not intend to contest in Uttar Pradesh and will support Samajwadi Party in the fight against the BJP senior SP leader Kiranmoy Nanda had said on Tuesday after meeting Banerjee at her residence Describing Banerjee as one of the most prominent anti-BJP faces in the country Nanda said the TMC supremo will visit Varanasi in February but the date is yet to be fixed To a question about the hearing of the case relating to Mukul Roys continuation as PAC chairman Adhikari said We are waiting for the Supreme Court verdict in the case BJP had moved the speakers office in July 2021 contending that Roy who had joined TMC after winning on BJP ticket from Krishnanagar Dakshin assembly seat cannot occupy the PAC chairmans post as it is traditionally given to a senior opposition MLA in the house Responding to the BJP leaders comments Ghosh said Adhikari should first explain why his father Sisir Adhikari is not stepping down as MP despite being elected on a TMC ticket in 2019 He should not continue as TMC MP after pledging his support to Amit Shah in 2021 January in a public rally Why is Suvendu silent on this he asked PTI SUS KK JRC JRC