BJP MPs write to LS Speaker seeking TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee's suspension lodging of FIR

     New Delhi, Oct 23 (PTI) Three BJP MPs have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla demanding the filing of an FIR against TMC member Kalyan Banerjee and his immediate suspension from the House pending investigation for what they called "unprecedented violence" during a meeting of the joint parliamentary panel on the Waqf bill.
     The letter signed by Nishikant Dubey, Aparajita Sarangi and Abhijit Gangopadhyay also sought an investigation into the matter by the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee to consider rescinding Banerjee’s membership from the Lower House.
     Amid a heated exchange of words with Gangopadhyay during the meeting on Tuesday, Banerjee smashed a glass bottle and allegedly threw it towards the panel’s chairperson Jagdambika Pal.
     In their joint letter to the Speaker on Tuesday, the BJP members said that they along with other members of the panel witnessed the “act of goondaism and unpardonable violence” by Banerjee during the sitting of the parliamentary committee.
     “The goondaism and unpardonable violence exhibited by Kalyan Banerjee has surpassed all limits of a civilised behaviour expected from a Member of Parliament which has now become an act of life-threatening attack on the Chairperson Jagdambika Pal,” they noted.
     “Therefore the same calls for stringent action by your good self as otherwise, our cherished parliamentary system of governance would be tarnished beyond repair,” they added.
     The BJP MPs urged that an FIR may be lodged against Banerjee for “unprecedented goondaism, unpardonable violence and life-threatening attack” on Pal followed by his immediate police custody, interrogation and investigation by the “competent law enforcement agencies”.
     “In terms of Rule 316B (a) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, the unethical conduct of Kalyan Banerjee, Member of Parliament, may be referred to the Committee on Ethics for examination, investigation and report for considering rescinding his membership,” they demanded.
     Pending further action against him, Banerjee may be suspended from the proceedings of the House and its committees and also barred from entering the Parliament Estate till the conclusion of the inquiry against him, the BJP MPs said in their letter to the Speaker.
     Since the entire proceedings of the Committee on Waqf Bill are videographed as is the case of sittings of all other parliamentary committees, "the same may be retained as evidence and examined by your good self to appreciate the documented culpability of Kalyan Banerjee,” they added.
     Banerjee was suspended for one day from the parliamentary committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill after high drama during its meeting on Tuesday where he smashed a glass water bottle and allegedly threw it towards the Chair while injuring his fingers in the process.
     In their letter, the BJP MPs urged the Speaker to take “urgent punitive action” against Banerjee, saying that merely suspending the TMC member for a day is a “much lighter punishment” and it will not deter him from repeating “such acts of hooliganism along with an intent to cause life-threatening physical harm to other Members of Parliament”.
     “I believe that your good self would consider taking urgent punitive action against Kalyan Banerjee, Member of Parliament, so that our democracy and its cherished institutions like Parliament committees are saved from such rowdy persons now masquerading (as) representatives of citizens of our country,” Dubey noted in the letter.
     However, the opposition leaders on Wednesday hit out at Pal accusing him of violating the rules of procedure by going public about the incident.
     Pal rejected the allegations levelled by DMK member A Raja and AAP’s Sanjay Singh, asserting that he had not made public proceedings of the committee but spoke about an “incident of violence” that had taken place during the meeting and subsequent suspension of Banerjee.
     Raja and Singh termed as "unfortunate" Pal's media statements on the incident involving Banerjee during a meeting of the committee on Tuesday.
     Raja alleged that Pal, a seasoned BJP member, has been conducting the panel's meetings in haste, raising "doubts that it will not be able to serve justice".
     Echoing Raja's views, Singh said the opposition members had decided not to make any statement regarding the incident involving Banerjee.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)