Jaipur, Sep 1 (PTI) The Monsoon session of the Rajasthan Assembly began on a stormy note on Monday as Congress and BJP members raised slogans against each other, prompting Speaker Vasudev Devnani to adjourn proceedings till Wednesday.
Congress MLAs shouted slogans of “vote chor gaddi chhodo” (vote thief, step down) and displayed placards inside the House.
Despite repeated appeals for order by the Speaker, the Congress members remained defiant.
The Speaker asked them to maintain decorum, saying this is not a marketplace or a street and members cannot behave like this in the Assembly.
“This is not a marketplace or a street corner. Maintain the dignity of the House,” Devnani said.
Targeting opposition benches, he also reminded the Leader of Opposition to uphold the dignity of the House and refrain from using inappropriate words.
BJP MLAs also raised slogans against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, shouting “gaali baaz Rahul Gandhi”.
The BJP has been protesting against Gandhi for alleged abuses directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother during the Congress leader’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in poll-bound Bihar.
During the proceedings, Devnani informed the House that the Anta Assembly seat (Baran) had fallen vacant due to the conviction of Kanwar Lal Meena in a criminal case.
The report of the Select Committee on the coaching centre regulation bill was also tabled by Deputy Chief Minister and Committee Chairman Dr. Premchand Bairwa.
The speaker also read out a message from the Governor regarding the return of a bill.
Earlier when the House met for the day, obituary references were made to former governors L Ganesan and Satpal Malik, former chief ministers Shibu Soren (Jharkhand), V.S. Achuthanandan (Kerala), Vijay Rupani (Gujarat); former MPs Girija Vyas and Colonel Sonaram, former MLAs Madan Kaur, Sohan Singh and Kishna Ram Nai.
After paying tributes to departed leaders, the House was adjourned till Wednesday.
Tuesday has been declared a holiday in view of Ramdev Jayanti.
Speaking to reporters outside the assembly, Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully charged that the BJP had rigged both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
He accused the Election Commission of being complicit and claimed that Congress had exposed its functioning.
Former deputy CM and Tonk MLA Sachin Pilot alleged that elections were repeatedly undermined through electoral malpractice.
“Some people are trying to steal votes and repeatedly form governments through unfair means. The entire country is now speaking up against this and the Congress will not tolerate vote theft,” Pilot told reporters.
“Vote theft is not just happening in Bihar or Karnataka. It has been attempted in Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan too. There must be a thorough investigation. Those sitting in the Election Commission in BJP’s disguise must be removed,” he demanded.
Independent MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati entered the Assembly premises carrying posters demanding implementation of a Khejri tree protection law.
“If the state government fails to act in time, I will strongly oppose it,” Bhati told reporters.
Asked about the uproar in the House, government Chief Whip Jageshwar Garg told reporters that the Congress has a record of using abusive language.
“Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have a record of abusive language. Videos of such incidents are widely circulating,” he said. PTI AG SDA DV DV
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