Tripura Assembly: Porn video episode sent to ethics committee

AGARTALA — Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswabandhu Sen has referred the matter of BJP MLA Yadab Lal Nath’s alleged gross misconduct in the House to the ethics committee for necessary action, a senior lawmaker said on Friday.

The 55-year-old ruling party legislator was allegedly caught watching a pornographic video inside the Assembly during an earlier session in March.

“BJP legislator Kishore Barman raised the matter in the Assembly on Thursday, the last day of the budget session, and sought Speaker Sen’s attention. Sen sent the matter to the ethics committee for necessary action,” chief whip Kalyani Roy told PTI on Friday.

The nine-member ethics committee will discuss the issue and take a decision in accordance with the guidelines, she said.

The opening day of the budget session on July 7 had witnessed uproar over opposition’s demand for action against Nath, who was allegedly caught on camera watching a porn video in the earlier session.

Amid the chaos, the Speaker suspended five MLAs from Tipra Motha, CPI(M) and Congress for the day on the recommendation of leader of the house Chief Minister Manik Saha. Later, the suspension was withdrawn following a proposal from Saha.

Roy claimed that the opposition members had raised the issue on the first day of the budget session without following proper procedure.

“If any member wants to raise such a sensitive issue in the Assembly, the legislator has to follow prescribed guidelines. Without supporting documents, the Speaker cannot entertain such allegations. Their intention was to create ruckus in the House. That’s the reason why the opposition’s demand was not entertained,” she said.

Meanwhile, the MLA of Bagbassa constituency in North Tripura district, who is in the eye of storm, remained absent throughout the budget session.