Landed in ‘parchi’ row, Rajasthan Minister Avinash Gehlot pleads innocence
The Opposition Congress swiftly grabbed the opportunity to target the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led BJP government, making the video viral with sarcastic potshots.
The deadlock over a remark over former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi remained unresolved as the opposition Congress members disrupted the proceedings in Rajasthan Assembly for the second day in a row, forcing the Chair to adjourn the House twice on Monday.
As the House proceedings commenced at 1100 hrs, after the weekend break, the Congress MLAs who have held dharna in the House since Friday evening in protest against “Aapki Dadi” remark on Indira Gandhi by Social Justice Minister Avinash Gehlot, resorted to sloganeering against the government.
The opposition members have been agitating since Friday, demanding that the remark on late PM Indira Gandhi be expunged and the suspension of their six MLAs, including PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra, be revoked.
When the dharna and slogan shouting in the Well continued, Speaker Vasudev Devnani advised the six suspended members to honour the Chair’s ruling and leave the House. The Speaker tried to conduct the Question Hour proceedings amid uproar but did not succeed. The Chair adjourned the House within 15 minutes, until 1200 noon.
Speaker Vasudev Devnani called Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Julie, Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasara, Congress Whip Rafeeq Khan, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel, and other BJP leaders in his Chamber to resolve the deadlock but the talks did not succeed.
At 1200 noon, the House reassembled but the ruckus continued. Speaker Devnani took up Zero Hour business amid the din. The proceedings could not continue for more than 13 minutes and the House was adjourned again till 1300 hrs.
Meanwhile, Marshals were called in the assembly hall to escort out the suspended members. However, agitating MLAs remained unrelenting and the Speaker Devnani, taking a sensitive approach, called the marshals back.
The Congress held a demonstration outside the assembly to protest against Minister Gehlot’s remark. Party workers from different parts of the state participated in the demonstration.
The trouble over the issue erupted in the House on Friday during the Question Hour when Minister Gehlot while replying to a question by Rafeeq Khan (Congress) said, ”….under previous Congress regimes, schemes were launched in the name of your (Opposition’s) Dadi (Grandma) Indira Gandhi; what was the fate (status) of those…”
The subsequent protests and unruly scenes in the House had precipitated the situation to the extent that six of the Congress MLAs — Govind Singh Dotasara, Amin Jagdi, Ramkesh Meena, Hakam Ali, Jakir Hossain, and Sanjay Kumar Jatav — were suspended for the remaining period of the Budget session.
The opposition has been holding a sit-in in the assembly since Friday evening.
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