The curtain rose during a session of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Bill. Banerjee, known for her oratorical flourishes, reportedly decided that words were insufficient and introduced a glass water bottle into the discourse—by smashing it and allegedly directing its trajectory towards the committee's chairperson, BJP's Jagdambika Pal. This avant-garde method of debate left Banerjee nursing injuries to her thumb and index finger, necessitating immediate medical attention.
Not to be outdone in the theatrics department, BJP's IT cell head honcho, Amit Malviya, took to the virtual stage. He disseminated a montage of videos and chat transcripts that, according to him, provide an unfiltered glimpse into the TMC's internal dynamics post-bottle episode. Malviya's pièce de résistance was a clip featuring Banerjee expounding on the expansive reach of Waqf properties, suggesting that any locale graced by a namaz inherently becomes Waqf territory. This revelation prompted Malviya to prognosticate a dystopian future where Kolkata's landmarks might be up for grabs.
The TMC's defense strategy was swift and pointed. Party spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar dismissed the incident as a minor lapse, attributing Banerjee's spirited response to provocations from BJP's Abhijit Gangopadhyay, whom he labeled as a "person with huge nuisance value." Majumdar emphasized Banerjee's seasoned parliamentary credentials, contrasting them with Gangopadhyay's freshman status.
Banerjee broke her silence, alleging that Gangopadhyay's verbal assaults targeted not just him but extended to her family, crossing all lines of decorum. She questioned the legitimacy of her suspension from the committee, asserting that only the Speaker holds such authority.
The BJP, seizing the moral high ground, petitioned Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for stringent action against Banerjee. They characterized her bottle-wielding antics as "unprecedented violence" and called for her suspension pending a thorough investigation. The letter, underscored by signatures from BJP luminaries including Nishikant Dubey and Aparajita Sarangi, painted Banerjee's actions as a blemish on parliamentary decorum.