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Budget session: Opp lawmakers shout slogans during Assam governor’s address
The chaos continued even as speaker Biswajit Daimary requested the lawmakers not to shout or show placards inside the House
Opposition lawmakers shouted slogans during governor Gulab Chand Kataria’s speech before walking out of the House on day one of the Assam assembly’s budget session on Monday. Kataria ended the speech in around three minutes as the protesting members complained about the faulty audio system and not receiving copies of the address.
The chaos continued even as speaker Biswajit Daimary requested the lawmakers not to shout or show placards during the speech. The placards carried slogans against the imposition of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, price rise, evictions, etc. The lawmakers also expressed displeasure over cases filed against Congress leaders during the Assam leg of the party’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra last month.
The Opposition members continued the protests outside the House. “We were not provided with copies of the governor’s address. There is nothing new in the speech and he was just reading from a prepared text. It is just a waste of time of the assembly and as Opposition members, we saw no point in listening to it and walked out,” said Opposition leader Debabrata Saikia (Congress).
“There were attacks on our leaders including Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah during the yatra. But the police say no such thing happened. Such an attitude has sullied the police’s image.”
The Opposition leaders boycotted Kataria’s reception after his address in protest against the cases lodged against Congress leaders including Gandhi and Borah.
The budget session will continue until February 28. The budget will be presented on February 12.
