The Opposition CPM on Friday walked out twice on the first day of the Assembly over law-and-order situation in Tripura and imposition of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (Esma).

After the statutory question hour, former PWD and finance minister Badal Choudhury raised the demand for an adjournment motion for discussion on law and order in the state.

He also claimed that he had submitted an application for adjournment motion earlier, but Speaker Rebati Mohan Das said no such motion could be admitted.

Opposition leaders, including MLA Sudhan Das and former minister Bhanulal Saha, kept on raising the demand.

Ruling BJP legislator and axed minister Sudip Roy Barman said this issue could be raised on Monday, as the day was scheduled for questions on the home department.

He also said there should be a comparison of the law-and-order situation during the one-year BJP rule and a similar period during the Left Front government’s tenure.

Leader of the Opposition Manik Sarkar subsequently stood up and said their voices were being forcibly suppressed and they could not stay in the House to legitimise the proceedings. The Opposition members then walked out of the house but returned after a few minutes.

In the second half of the Assembly session, chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb moved The Tripura Essential Services Maintenance Bill, 2019.

Opposing the Esma bill, Sarkar said the government should think before introducing the bill because it would suppress the voices of government employees and like other citizens of the country, they may not like some decisions of the government.

Later, the Opposition members walked out for the second time and returned after 15 minutes.

Deputy Speaker Biswabandhu Sen subsequently placed the bill for a vote and it was passed by voice vote.

In the 60-member House, the BJP has 36 members, its ally IPFT has eight, while the CPM has 16 legislators.

The session began with the members paying homage to former defence minister and Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, former minister for external affairs Sushma Swaraj, former finance minister Arun Jaitley and Badharghat BJP legislator Dilip Sarkar, who passed away recently.

On Tuesday, state law minister Ratan Lal Nath had said, “The imposition of Esma had been approved in a recent cabinet meeting. It will help us stop government employees from organising strikes and ceasework, which obstruct provision of essential service to the masses.”