In a highly chaotic scene in the Uttarakhand Assembly, 15 Congress MLAs were suspended for a day for creating a ruckus during the proceedings of the House.
The suspension came after the Opposition party created an uproar, demanding a discussion under Rule 310 on the issue of unemployment and the police lathi-charge on students who were protesting in Dehradun against recruitment scam on February 9, and cases of examination paper leak in the state. Speaker Khanduri allowed a hearing on the matter under Rule 58 and called for Question Hour.
Criticising the suspended MLAs for their “unruly behaviour”, BJP State chief Mahendra Bhatt said that conduct like this in the House was unacceptable under any circumstances. He asserted that the House is convened to discuss issues of public importance, but the Congress which is going through “frustration and disappointment”, is “trying to run away” from playing the role of a being a responsible opposition
The chaos began as soon as the proceedings of the Assembly started with the Congress members creating a ruckus and refusing to allow the Speaker to conduct the House. The Opposition party members raised slogans against the government.
Despite repeated requests by the Speaker to maintain order, the Congress MLAs continued with their protest, leading to the Speaker suspending 15 of them for the day.
Speaking to the press on the issue House Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan said “If members had any kind of problem regarding the decision, it could be resolved by communication. Climbing the secretary’s table and trying to come close to the Chair, it’s a serious and unacceptable issue. This kind of unruly behaviour is not at all correct”
She also pointed out to the fact that some Congress MLAs namely, Adesh Chauhan, Piran Kaliyar, and Furqan Ahmad, climbed Vidhan Sabha secretary Hem Pant’s table during the ruckus.
Meanwhile, the ruling party defended its actions, stating that the Congress members were disrupting the proceedings of the House and not allowing the Speaker to conduct the proceedings smoothly. The government also clarified that it was taking all necessary steps to keep the functioning of the house smooth so that a conducive environment for productive discussions can be created in the legislature.
The Congress was organising protests inside and outside the Vidhan Sabha on the inaugural day of the budget session over issues that the alleged recruitment scams and was asking for a CBI investigation into them. They were also alleging corruption in the functioning of the Government. Unemployment, the lathi-charge on protesting youth on February 9 in Dehradun, rising prices, the Pauri Garhwal receptionist murder case, deteriorating law and order, and neglect of land subsidence hit Joshimath and Gairsan were other issues that the Opposition wanted to discuss.
State Congress president Karan Mahara said, “This is indicative of BJP’s dictatorial character, which will not be tolerated by any party that believes in democracy”.
MLA from Khatima and Deputy Leader of Opposition Bhuwan Chandra Kapri said, “The Pushkar Singh-led state government is neglecting farmers by not increasing the sugarcane MSP. Even today the Uttarakhand government follows the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision. If the government in the neighbouring state increases sugarcane MSP, our government then says they will think about it. No pending payments of sugarcane farmers have been cleared. It’s an anti-farmer government.”
State Congress spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni said, “It’s a murder of the Constitution. The elected representatives are being barred from raising their voice in the House.”
It must be noted that the Budget Session is going on in the Uttarakhand Assembly and many important legislations have been tabled for discussion, such ruckus and uproar consume the time and energy of the members of the house and stop the members from having a proper discussion on the tabled bills.
The suspension of the Congress MLAs for a day has now raised concerns over the functioning of the Uttarakhand Assembly and the possibility of further disruptions in the coming days. With both the ruling and the Opposition parties refusing to back down, it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold in the coming days.