BJP lawmakers staged a walkout from West Bengal Assembly on Thursday demanding a discussion on the suspension of the jailed West Bengal Minister and TMC MLA Jyotipriyo Mallick.

All the about 30 MLAs of the saffron party present walked out of the Assembly hall after Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay disallowed a motion by them demanding that they be allowed to raise the issue of Mallick's suspension from the House in view of his arrest in a money laundering case linked to the ration distribution scam.

The motion was brought by BJP MLAs Shankar Ghosh and Agnimitra Paul among others two days after senior party leader Suvendu Adhikari was suspended for the entire winter session of the House after allegations that he made objectionable remarks against the speaker and created ruckus in the House.

In response to BJP leaders demands Bandyopadhyay said the issue cannot be discussed in the House.

Mallick was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a PMLA case linked to the ration scam on October 27.

"The arrest of a people's representative and a member of the state cabinet in connection with a money laundering case has lowered the dignity of the House. We demand that unless the minister is proved innocent by the investigating agency and in the court, he should not be allowed to continue as a legislator," Ghosh said.

"As no such step has been taken by the speaker and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against Mallick even a month after his arrest, we demand the issue figure in the assembly," the BJP leader said.

Asked about the next move by BJP to press for the demand, Ghosh said "We will step up our protests in different forms inside the House" but did not elaborate.

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