E-Paper
Stormy scenes in Madhya Pradesh assembly over no-confidence motion
Charges and counter-charges flew thick and fast as the speaker said he would not take a decision on the motion on the first day of the session.
The Madhya Pradesh assembly witnessed uproarious scenes over the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on its no-confidence motion against the state government and making public of the judicial commission report on the Mandsaur police firing as the five-day monsoon session began on Monday.
Congress MLA Ramnivas Rawat said the government was afraid of facing the no-confidence motion whereas parliamentary affairs minister Narottam Mishra countered by saying leader of the opposition Ajay Singh did not enjoy the confidence of the Congress legislature party as the motion he had submitted was not signed by him.
He signed it only after being reminded by the assembly secretariat, added Mishra.
Mishra said the charges mentioned by the Opposition in the no-confidence motion had already been levelled by the them in the assembly earlier. Rather, he added, the charges were fictitious.
Rawat said several issues found mention in the “charge sheet” against the government, like farmers suicide, the e-tender scam, malnutrition, rising crimes against women, Narmada Sewa Yatra and the mounting debt on the state government. There was nothing fictitious.
Forest minister Gaurishankar Shejwar said since a proper “charge-sheet” was not filed it had turned null and void and no discussion could be held on the same.
Charges and counter-charges flew thick and fast as the speaker said he would not take a decision on the motion on the first day of the session.
Mishra said the opposition was unnecessarily raising baseless issues to give a bad name to the state.
Leader of opposition Ajay Singh said, “The BJP-led state government is trying to divert the attention of people; it is afraid of facing charges on corruption prevailing in the system. The government has no answer to opposition’s questions on the e-tender scam and farmer suicides, to name a few.”
The Opposition also raised its demand for making public the judicial commission report on police firing in Mandsaur in which five farmers had died last June.
The 230-seat Madhya Pradesh assembly, which is slated to elect new members later this year, has 166 MLAs from the BJP (including the speaker), 57 from the Congress, four from the BSP and three Independents.
