Jharkhand assembly speaker Rabindranath Mahto on Thursday, the last day of the monsoon session, formed a seven-member all-party committee to review the decision of notifying a dedicated namaz room for Muslims in the assembly building.
The notification issued September 2 led to a political storm in the state with the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) consistently disrupting proceedings in the House during the ongoing monsoon session, doing Kirtan and chanting Hanuman Chalisa.
On Wednesday, police lathicharged BJP workers and leaders protesting outside the assembly when they tried to move ahead by breaking barricades, injuring several of them.
The Speaker took the decision on Thursday after senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislator Sarfaraz Ahmed proposed forming a committee in the House to look into the issue in order to break the deadlock. Other legislators, including Bandhu Tirkey and Pradeep Yadav, supported the proposal.
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“Over the past few days, we have seen this issue (namaz room) is pushing the state towards communal tension. You took a decision based on a precedence in the assembly. Such a room was allotted by first speaker Inder Singh Namdhari when Babulal Marandi was the chief minister. However, now this issue has gone into a new direction. So it’s my personal view that you form an assembly committee that looks into it and give it’s report in 7 to 10 days. Based on their report, you can review your decision,” Sarfaraz said.
{{/usCountry}}“Over the past few days, we have seen this issue (namaz room) is pushing the state towards communal tension. You took a decision based on a precedence in the assembly. Such a room was allotted by first speaker Inder Singh Namdhari when Babulal Marandi was the chief minister. However, now this issue has gone into a new direction. So it’s my personal view that you form an assembly committee that looks into it and give it’s report in 7 to 10 days. Based on their report, you can review your decision,” Sarfaraz said.
{{/usCountry}}However, Babulal Marandi, currently legislature party leader of the BJP, objected to Sarfaraz’s claims and said no such room was allocated during his tenure as CM.
As other legislators supported the proposal, the Speaker announced the formation of an all-party committee. While senior JMM legislator Stephen Marandi will chair the committee, other members include Sarfaraz Ahmed, Pradeep Yadav, Neelkanth Munda, Vinod Singh, Lambodar Mahto and Dipika Pandey Singh.
“Though I am fixing a timeframe of 45 days for the committee to submit its report, I would request the panel to ready it at the earliest so that we can end this deadlock. I will abide by its recommendation,” said the Speaker.
Bhanu Pratap Shahi, BJP legislator and former minister, who has been one of the most vocal lawmakers on the issue, said it was BJP’s pressure that forced Sarfaraz Ahmed to come up with the proposal.
“He could have made this proposal even on the first day. But he is doing it now because of the pressure from the BJP,” said Shahi in an apparent reference to their consistent stand and protest on the issue.
BJP delegation meets governor
Meanwhile, a BJP delegation led by party general secretary Pradeep Verma met Jharkhand governor Ramesh Bais and requested the cancellation of the notification and action against those responsible for lathicharge on the protesting BJP workers and leaders. A PIL has also been filed against the notification in the Jharkhand high court.