The Haryana assembly on Monday launched breach-of-privilege proceedings against two Congress MLAs, escalating the tussle between the ruling BJP and the Opposition that began last week during the high-voltage opening sitting of the monsoon session.
Cabinet minister Ranbir Gangwa moved the privilege motion against Jassi Petwar for allegedly making “defamatory allegations” against speaker Harvinder Kalyan on social media, while BJP MLA Laxman Singh Yadav moved a separate motion against Induraj Singh Narwal for snatching and throwing away a poster that suspended Congress MLA Jarnail Singh had displayed in the House last Thursday to embarrass the Congress and certain of its leaders over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
After both privilege motions were adopted by the 90-member House, where the ruling BJP has a majority with 48 members, the speaker referred the matters to the Privilege Committee of the Vidhan Sabha to investigate the allegations and table its report in the next session of the assembly.
The twin privilege proceedings were the fallout of the first sitting of the three-day monsoon session on August 27, which was dominated by a confrontation between the Congress and the government over the alleged ill-treatment of Congress MLAs by security personnel at the Assembly entrance.
With the privilege motions now referred to the committee, the tussle between the treasury and Opposition benches has gone beyond the floor of the House and into proceedings to be held under the assembly’s privilege mechanism.
{{/usCountry}}With the privilege motions now referred to the committee, the tussle between the treasury and Opposition benches has gone beyond the floor of the House and into proceedings to be held under the assembly’s privilege mechanism.
{{/usCountry}}According to Gangwa, Congress MLA Petwar had made defamatory allegations against the speaker on social media by accusing the chair of being biased and prejudiced. The ruling BJP’s move to initiate breach-of-privilege proceedings came as it was emerging that both sides were ready for a truce over the ruckus that took place last Thursday.
At the beginning of Monday’s sitting, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda again raised the issue of the “ill-treatment” meted out to Congress legislators by security personnel. Hooda also objected to a word that chief minister Nayab Singh Saini had allegedly used during the verbal duel last week.
Saini defended his remarks, saying Congress MLAs had first used the word in a highly objectionable manner and that he had only responded that such language would not be allowed. He urged the speaker to examine the records of the proceedings.
As the issue surfaced during Question Hour, the speaker asked Congress members not to disrupt the proceedings. After Question Hour, Congress MLA BB Batra again raised the issue, insisting that the CM had used an unparliamentary expression. Even as the speaker disagreed with the Congress MLA’s contention, the contentious word uttered in Hindi was expunged from the proceedings.
The speaker gave his ruling on the contentious word and said that the word “utpaat” should be used in the proceedings in place of the word that had been expunged. He also said Congress MLA Balram Dangi had first used the objectionable word.
The blame game erupted again, with cabinet minister Krishan Kumar Bedi accusing the Congress of challenging the authority of the Chair and saying Congress members had raised slogans against the speaker.
The speaker asked the members to end the controversy and move on, saying that maintaining the dignity, discipline and security of the House and assembly premises was a collective responsibility.
It was at this stage that Gangwa raised the issue of Petwar’s social media remarks against the speaker and sought permission to move the privilege motion. When the motion was moved, adopted and referred to the Privileges Committee, the Congress decided to walk out of the House in protest. Much to the surprise of the Congress, in another offensive, the ruling BJP fielded its Rewari MLA, Laxman Singh Yadav, to move a breach-of-privilege motion against Induraj Narwal while Congress MLAs were leaving the House, prompting them to return.
At the core of the privilege motion against Narwal was the Congress MLA’s interruption of the party’s suspended MLA, Jarnail Singh, while he was displaying a small poster during the agitation. Singh’s poster sought an apology from those who considered Congress leaders associated with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to be their role models. During the protest, Congress MLA Narwal allegedly snatched the poster from Jarnail Singh and threw it away.
In his motion, BJP MLA Laxman Yadav said the conduct of Congress MLA Narwal was “disrespectful and indecent”. The motion was adopted and also referred to the Privileges Committee, even as Congress legislators protested and objected.