E-Paper
Ruckus over MLA watching porn: Tripura House devolves into chaos
Four opposition legislators were suspended from the Tripura assembly for protesting against a BJP MLA caught watching porn in the House earlier this year.
Four opposition legislators were briefly suspended from the Tripura assembly on the opening day of the budget session on Friday that saw raucous protests against BJP MLA Jadab Lal Debnath, who was caught on camera watching porn in the House earlier this year. Later in the day, the speaker suspended a Congress MLA for the entire budget session for using “unparliamentary” words.
Soon after the budget session started, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman was seen entering the House with a bottle of gangajal (water from the Ganga) and sprinkling it around. Leader of the opposition and TIPRA Motha MLA Animesh Debbarma then sought a discussion on Debnath’s “misconduct” and asked whether an adjournment motion could be moved against the BJP leader. But the Speaker asked him to return to his chair and allowed the session to continue. Opposition legislators later gathered in the well of the house demanding action against the BJP MLA. A few also climbed on tables.
After nearly an hour of protests, chief minister Manik Saha urged the speaker to suspend the MLAs. Accordingly, five MLAs , the TIPRA Motha’s Brishaketu Debbarma, Nandita Reang and Ranjit Debbarma, the Congress’s Sudip Roy Barman and the CPM’s Nayan Sarkar were suspended for the day for “creating disturbances during proceedings in the House”. Amid the ruckus,finance minister Pranajit Singha Roy presented the ₹27,654.45 crore “tax-free” budget for the current financial year.
After the Speaker declined their request to reconsider the decision, all Opposition members walked out of the House in protest. Later in the day, while the suspension of four legislators was revoked, the speaker suspended Barman for the entire session for using an “unparliamentary” word.
Chief of TIPRA Motha Pradyot Kishore Debbarma later tweeted his disapproval of the Speaker’s actions. “It is unfortunate that the Hon’ble Speaker of the Tripura Legislative Assembly didn’t take any cognisance, let alone take action on the MLA Jadab Lal Nath, who was caught watching obscene content (porn) in the assembly (during the last session), but instead suspended five opposition MLAs (three TIPRA Motha MLAs) who were demanding due action on the concerned MLA.”
Veteran CPM leader and former deputy speaker Pabitra Kar, too, slammed the action. “The Oppositions raised the issue loudly after seeing no action has been taken against the BJP MLA. But the Speaker could have avoided suspension of the legislators.”
A 54-second video clip went viral on social media in March showing the BJP MLA for Bagbassa in North Tripura watching porn on his phone while Speaker Sen was heard speaking on issues including cut motions on demands for supplementary grants.
Nath claimed he received repeated phone calls and that the porn started playing automatically after he picked up one call. He added that he was aware that the use of mobile phone was prohibited in the assembly.
