E-Paper
Congress MLAs force multiple adjournments on Haryana assembly session opening day
The proceedings of the assembly were repeatedly adjourned multiple times by the Speaker and deputy speaker on Friday for about three hours.
The monsoon session of the Haryana assembly opened on a stormy note on Friday as a group of highly charged Congress MLAs forced repeated adjournments of the House demanding that an adjournment motion on the deteriorating law and order situation in the state be taken up immediately. An adjournment motion is primarily brought to draw the attention of the House to an urgent matter of public importance.
The proceedings of the assembly were repeatedly adjourned multiple times by the Speaker and deputy speaker on Friday for about three hours. The Congress MLAs were in between invited to the Speaker’s chamber for a dialogue to resolve the stalemate. However, the day was lost by the time things settled and the Speaker announced that the adjournment motion would be taken up by the assembly on August 26.
Soon after the House had paid tributes to the departed, Congress MLAs led by Jhajjar MLA Geeta Bhukkal demanded that an adjournment motion on the deteriorating law and order situation submitted by them be taken up at once by the Speaker.
Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, however, said that since the question hour has been initiated as per the listed business of the House, the Congress MLAs should let the questions be taken up for the day.
Congress MLAs, however, insisted that the adjournment motion be taken up before any business is transacted.
“The law and order situation in the state is in a mess. It is a serious issue warranting immediate attention of the House,’’ said Bhukkal. She also cited Rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Haryana assembly to press for the adjournment motion.
When the Speaker refused to accede to their demand, the Congress MLAs trooped into the well of the House to vociferously demand that no other business should be taken up by the assembly before the issue of the failing law and order situation, particularly crimes against women and growing gangsterism, is deliberated upon by the House.
Leading the chorus were Congress MLA from Kalanaur, Shakuntala Khatak, her debutant Congress colleagues, Vikas Saharan (Kalayat), Balram Dangi (Meham) and Jassi Petwar (Narnaund). The Congress MLAs also shouted slogans against the government. The pandemonium continued as the Congress MLAs hit out at the BJP’s flagship programme by flashing posters of “Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao kya hua”, an obvious reference to the incidence of crime against the women.
Speaker Harvinder Kalyan continued persuading the opposition legislators to let the proceedings continue according to the schedule and questions be taken up for the day. But the Congress MLAs remained defiant and continued with their protest, forcing the first adjournment for half an hour.
The ruling BJP MLAs also tried to counter the protesting Congress lawmakers by making noise from the treasury benches.
The House assembled again with chief minister Nayab Singh Saini assuring the House that the government is ready to have a discussion on the law and order issue and answer the questions of the opposition.
However, the Congress MLAs again assembled in the well of the House holding banners and demanded that the adjournment motion be allowed to be taken up by the Speaker first. When the Congress MLAs did not relent, the Speaker adjourned the House for another 20 minutes.
The proceedings again got adjourned for half an hour after the Congress MLAs became agitated over Saini’s remarks regarding crime incidents that went unregistered during the Congress rule. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda objected to the CM’s remarks. “It is not appropriate for the CM to make such remarks. Our government had in fact ensured that FIRs are registered in each and every case. Please take out the record and verify yourself,’’ said Hooda.
The chief minister said that the opposition should desist from playing petty politics on such issues. She was our daughter. The police have worked swiftly in the case,’’ the chief minister said in an obvious reference to the recent demise of a Bhiwani school teacher.
After multiple adjournments, the deadlock was finally overcome when the Speaker told the assembly that the adjournment motion submitted by Congress MLAs on failing law and order situation in the state would be taken up for discussion in the House on August 26.
