Trinamool Congress leader Mamta Banerjee submitted her resignation on Thursday to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee after creating a commotion in the House by throwing a bunch of papers at the Speaker's podium.
"I have submitted my resignation," she told reporters in New Delhi.
"There is no point in my being a member of the House if I am not allowed to raise people's issues," Banerjee said. Her action comes a few months ahead of the assembly elections in West Bengal, where her party is a traditional opponent of the ruling Left Front.
Leader of the Opposition L K Advani suggested that Banerjee could be called to the Speaker's chamber to discuss the matter and said his party was also ready to come, if required. However, Left leaders rejected this saying it would justify the action.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal took up special discussion on terrorism and asked Bharatiya Janata Party's Deputy Leader V K Malhotra to initiate it. But Left members remained adamant and wanted action against Banerjee for her behaviour.
As the din continued, the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House till 1500 hours.
Banerjee's dramatic step came soon after the House reassembled as Basudeb Acharia of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), vociferously supported by his party colleagues, dubbed her behaviour as unprecedented. "It has never happened," he said.
An angry Banerjee kept a paper in front of Atwal and left the House in a huff, triggering speculation that she had quit the Lok Sabha. However, there was no word on the fate of her resignation letter.
