Chandigarh, Aug 22 (PTI) The Haryana Assembly saw six adjournments on the first day of the monsoon session on Friday as the Opposition Congress demanded an immediate discussion on the “deteriorating” law and order in the state.
The House witnessed stormy scenes when the Congress MLAs raised slogans demanding a discussion on the topic, and the BJP members countered it by shouting “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram.” The pandemonium led to repeated adjournments of varying periods during the day, four of them for 30 minutes each. The House business got affected for nearly three hours, and as a result, the Question Hour could not be taken up.
Later in the day, Speaker Harvinder Kalyan accepted the Opposition’s motion. The matter will now be discussed on Tuesday.
Before this, the Speaker castigated the Opposition members for their alleged unruly behaviour.
“What happened in the House is condemnable. I want to tell (Bhupinder) Hooda that he is a senior parliamentarian, but the way his party members are behaving is condemnable,” the Speaker told the Opposition.
However, the Opposition members said that it was well within their right to demand an immediate discussion on a “matter of urgent public importance”.
Earlier, the Assembly paid tributes to former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik who passed away recently, the victims of the June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash, the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and others.
Soon after, Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal got up and said that her party has moved an adjournment motion and demanded that work be suspended to discuss the “deteriorating” law and order in the state. Other Congress MLAs soon joined Bhukkal.
The Speaker told them their adjournment motion was under consideration and that they should allow the Question Hour to be taken up first.
However, Congress members did not relent. They flashed banners that read “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Kya Huva Kya Huva” and raised slogans.
Several young Congress legislators, including Jassi Petwar, Balram Dangi and Vikas Saharan, vociferously participated in the protest.
Senior Congress leader and two-time chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, though present in the House, did not raise slogans or flash banners.
Speaker Harvinder Kalyan asked the Opposition members to let the Question Hour be taken up first, as several members have listed questions to which the government would reply. However, the Congress MLAs insisted on their demand. As the uproar continued, many of them rushed to the Well of the House. The pandemonium continued even after Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini told the Congress members that the matter could be raised during the Question Hour.
Eventually, the Speaker adjourned the House for 30 minutes.
As the proceedings resumed, Congress MLAs repeated their demand, displaying banners.
To this, Saini said, “We are ready to discuss the law and order issue.” Referring to the murder of 19-year-old teacher Manisha in Bhiwani, the chief minister, without taking her name, said, “She is our daughter.” Manisha was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Sayani village last week. The state government has decided to hand over the probe to the CBI following her family’s demands.
Saini then targeted the previous Congress regime and said, “During their time, not even FIRs used to be registered.” As the ruckus continued, Speaker Kalyan adjourned the House for a second time for 20 minutes.
When the House resumed, the Speaker expressed his displeasure. “This is not a ‘gali mohalla sabha’ (neighbourhood assembly),” Kalyan said sternly, adding that the Congress members did not even allow the Question Hour to run.
“Whatever issue has to be placed in this House will be done according to rules and norms,” the Speaker told the Congress MLAs firmly.
However, Hooda pointed out that his party members said they have moved an adjournment motion, which should be taken up.
The Speaker said he would decide on the adjournment motion and that the Congress members must let the House run and take up the Question Hour first.
Saini got up to intervene again, but the din prevailed. Some Congress members rushed to the Well of the House again, leading to a third adjournment for 30 minutes.
The Speaker then held a meeting in his chamber with members of both the ruling party and the Opposition. As this meeting went on, Deputy Speaker Krishan Lal Middha extended brief adjournments three more times. The House witnessed six adjournments on Friday, suspending the work for nearly three hours.
As the House resumed after being adjourned for the sixth time, the Speaker announced that adjournment motion on the law and order issue has been accepted and that it would be taken up for discussion on Tuesday.
Notably, before the start of the current session, Congress had said that it will strongly raise the law and order issue, alleging that every resident of the state is living under the shadow of fear.
Hooda had recently alleged that murders taking place in broad daylight have become so common, and crimes against every section, including women and Dalits, are increasing. PTI SUN RUK RUK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.