The deadlock in the Rajasthan Assembly continued following a satirical remark about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the suspension of six Congress MLAs. Members of the principal opposition party staged an overnight dharna in the assembly hall on Saturday.
The Congress legislators, who had disrupted proceedings on Friday with slogan-shouting in the well of the House to protest against Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot’s satirical reference to Indira Gandhi, refused to leave the assembly hall even after the day’s adjournment, continuing their protest overnight.
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Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Tika Ram Julie, stated on Saturday morning that the sit-in would continue until their demand for expunging Minister Gehlot’s remarks was met.
“Our demand is modest and reasonable, yet the government is unwilling to concede even to this,” Julie said.
“It’s a simple matter—they just need to remove a few words. Why are they making a mountain out of a molehill?” he added.
Meanwhile, MLA Sanjay Kumar Jatav, who was among those protesting, fell ill during the dharna in the assembly hall last night. He was provided medical assistance by the assembly doctor.
During Question Hour on Friday, Minister Gehlot had quipped, “Under previous Congress regimes, schemes were launched in the name of your (Opposition’s) Dadi (Grandma) Indira Gandhi; what was the fate of those?”
Opposition leaders strongly objected, stating, “How can a prime minister and an internationally respected leader like Indira Ji—who sacrificed so much for the nation—be reduced to such casual references? She was the Prime Minister of India, not just of one party.”
The protests in the House ultimately led to the suspension of six MLAs—Govind Singh Dotasara, Amin Kagdi, Ramkesh Meena, Hakam Ali, Jakir Hossain, and Sanjay Kumar Jatav—for the remainder of the budget session.
