The Assembly on Monday passed a resolution demanding that the Union government take appropriate steps to ensure that Trinamul Congress MLAs and legislators weren’t harassed unnecessarily.

The resolution comes three days after the leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, allegedly threatened to put state minister Partha Bhowmick behind bars and coincides with non-BJP parties across the nation accusing the Centre of misusing its investigating agencies to throttle the Opposition.

Trinamul MLA Tapas Roy, who tabled the notice, said Adhikari’s comments vindicated a letter written by leaders of non-BJP parties — except the Left, DMK and the Congress — that the central agencies were being misused.

“This House demands the Union Government take appropriate action in the matter so that the Members of the ruling party of this Assembly including Ministers are not unnecessarily harassed in any manner,” the resolution read.

The motion was carried in the House in the absence of BJP MLAs. Sources in the saffron camp said it had initially been decided that their MLAs would speak against the motion. Later, the idea was scrapped and the lawmakers were instructed not to be present in the House when this matter was brought up.

Bhowmick was absent from the House when the motion was debated.

Referring to the March 10 incident when Adhikari attacked Bhowmick by saying that he would put the latter behind the bars within a month, Roy’s motion said the Nandigram MLA had attempted to “forcefully influence” the irrigation minister “in the proper discharge of constitutional duties causing obstructions in the functioning of the House”.

It also alleged that central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI were “selectively targeting” the leaders and members of Trinamul and thereby creating an atmosphere of fear. The motion also accused the two agencies of “acting as accomplices in fanning the politics of fear” and acting with an “ulterior motive”.

Roy took the opportunity to turn the debate on the motion into a platform to proclaim Opposition unity ahead of the next general elections.

After the motion was passed, Speaker Biman Banerjee said he expected central agencies to approach him before they took action against any members of the House. It wasn’t clear if he would allow state investigating agencies to take action against the members without informing him.