Ruckus over Haryana CM’s remarks on Hooda signature missing in no-trust motion

Speaker Harvinder Kalyan had a tough time restoring order as chief minister Nayab Singh Saini took a dig at the Congress to highlight the internal discord over Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s reappointment as CLP leader.

Chandigarh Pandemonium prevailed in the Haryana assembly on Friday shortly after question hour as Congress members trooped into the well of the House, raising slogans and protesting against chief minister Nayab Singh Saini’s pointed remarks questioning why CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda had not signed the no-confidence motion against the government.

Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini addressing the winter session of the assembly in Chandigarh on Friday. (HT Photo)

In a surprise intervention, Saini referred to what he described as a “healthy convention” set by the House when he had warmly welcomed Hooda on his elevation as the Leader of the Opposition on the opening day of the winter session on Thursday. Recalling his positive remarks made a day earlier about Hooda’s political and administrative experience, the chief minister said the treasury benches’ conduct towards the CLP leader had sent out a positive message across the state.

“But what surprised me was that after such warmth and a good beginning, the Congress brought a no-confidence motion which does not bear the signature of the Leader of the Opposition. Perhaps Hooda still does not consider himself the LoP,” Saini said, triggering an uproar from the opposition benches.

Hooda dismissed the chief minister’s remarks as unnecessary, but Saini persisted, taking an indirect dig at the Congress in an apparent attempt to highlight the party’s internal discord over the former CM’s reappointment as the CLP leader.

“I did not come across Hooda’s signature on the no-confidence motion,” Saini reiterated, wondering aloud whether Congress leaders themselves did not consider Hooda their leader. The remarks led to noisy scenes with Congress members rushing to the well of the House and treasury benches retaliating.

Speaker Harvinder Kalyan had a tough time restoring order as Hooda lodged a strong protest against the chief minister’s comments. At one point, both Hooda and Saini were on their feet, each seeking to speak first, forcing the Speaker to repeatedly appeal for decorum.

The Speaker asked the chief minister to wind up his remarks, but as Saini continued to touch upon the issue, Hooda questioned why an irrelevant matter was being raised in the House. “This is unfortunate. They have no business to comment on the Congress,” Hooda said.

Apparently at the core of CM’s floor strategy was to expose the chinks within the Congress by repeatedly stating that on one hand the BJP was warmly reacting to Hooda become the CLP leader after a wait of one year and on the other hand within the Congress there were some unhappy leaders.

As tempers flared on both sides, Speaker Kalyan said, “What is happening in the House is not good. The public is watching us.”

Hooda questioned how the chief minister could raise the issue of signatures after the no-confidence motion had already been admitted by the Speaker. “I had announced in a press conference that we would move a no-confidence motion,” he said, urging the Speaker to expunge certain remarks from the proceedings.

The Speaker assured him that the plea would be examined.

Hooda asked what point the government was trying to make when the motion had been admitted and the debate was scheduled for the second sitting of the House on Friday.

The war of words continued, with transport minister Anil Vij also rising to make a point. A visibly upset Vij complained that he was not being allowed to speak.

As the Speaker sought to make an important announcement and urged members to close the issue, Vij attempted to persist with the matter, but was stopped by the Chair, which ruled that no further discussion on the no-confidence motion would be allowed at that stage.

Eventually, order was restored in the House.

Pandemonium in the assembly

Pandemonium erupted in the Haryana assembly on Friday again during the closing stages of a special debate marking 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram, with Congress forcing repeated interruptions and Speaker Harvinder Kalyan briefly suspending nine Congress MLAs.

The trouble began when Congress MLAs trooped into the well of the House to protest chief minister Nayab Singh Saini’s references to India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in connection with Vande Mataram. The chief minister accused Nehru and the Congress of having “bowed to the Muslim League” and of dropping certain paragraphs of the national song, triggering a fierce backlash from the Opposition.

The uproar prompted speaker Harvinder Kalyan to suspend nine Congress MLAs and direct marshals to evict them from the House amid high drama. The decision was later revoked following an intervention by Congress Legislature Party leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a request that was also accepted by the chief minister.

The debate was initiated by BJP member Ghanshyam Dass but took a heated turn when Congress MLA Aditya Surjewala referred to the line “Sujalam Sufalam”—describing a land rich in water and fertility—and questioned whether the government was truly respecting the motherland in the backdrop of what he termed an “environmental catastrophe”.

Transport minister Anil Vij strongly objected, saying the sanctity of Vande Mataram was being diluted. Issues such as pollution and water contamination, he said, had their own relevance but should not be linked to the national song. The speaker endorsed Vij’s view.

Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda also intervened, saying he hailed from a family of freedom fighters and that Vande Mataram was a symbol of national pride. “Will they teach us what Vande Mataram is?” Hooda said, urging members to avoid controversy over the national song.

Replying towards the end of the debate, chief minister Saini said the very discussion reflected the BJP government’s commitment to honouring Vande Mataram. Responding to Congress’ contentions, Parliamentary Affairs minister Mahipal Dhanda told the Congress benches that the chief minister has only said what are historical facts and the grand old party should have no objection to it.