Ruckus in Jharkhand assembly over Namaz room: CM Soren says 'this kind of mentality is a barrier to development'

Some MLAs also disrupted the proceedings by sitting on the stairs at the entrance of the assembly chanting Hanuman Chalisa and 'Hare Rama' with placards.

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday slammed the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after its leaders created a ruckus in the state assembly over the allotment of a room for offering namaaz in the premises. "This kind of mentality is a barrier to the state's development," he said while speaking to reporters.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren (HT File)

Chaos ensued on Monday in the Jharkhand assembly after the BJP legislators jumped into the well of the assembly and raised slogans such as "Jai Shri Ram" (Glory to Lord Rama), while protesting against the decision to allot a separate room for offering namaaz. Some MLAs also disrupted the proceedings by sitting on the stairs at the entrance of the assembly chanting Hanuman Chalisa and 'Hare Rama' with placards.

During the uproar, speaker Ravindra Nath Mahto urged the BJP members, including Bhanu Pratap Shahi, to go back to their seats. "You are good members. Please cooperate with the Chair," he said while trying to maintain calm.

The opposition leaders are demanding withdrawal of the order pertaining to the allotment of the namaaz room. During the protests, Shahi and Chandreshwar Prasad Singh also demanded adjournment motion objecting to discussion on inflation alone as the Business Advisory Committee had agreed to take up discussion on employment policy too.