The Madhya Pradesh Assembly was on Thursday rocked for the third consecutive day with the main opposition Congress staging a walkout over a question concerning caste-based reservation appearing in Class XII examination of the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE).
In Zero Hour, Ramniwas Rawat of the Congress raised the issue again and demanded a discussion through adjournment motion. However, Speaker Sitasaran Sharma said that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra is going to make a statement in the House on the matter.
In his statement, Mishra said the regime has taken suitable action against two officials concerned in this regard. A schoolteacher, who prepared the question paper, has been barred from working for the MPBSE henceforth. A moderator has been suspended.
"The related question has been annulled. Evaluation of the paper would be done on the basis of marks obtained in the rest 90 marks and would be increased proportionately," he said.
Following the statement, Rawat stood up to comment but was interrupted by Forest Minister Gaurishankar Shejwar, who cited rules to assert that no one could make a statement or pose questions following the Minister's reply.
On being permitted by the Speaker, Rawat said several other people had a role in setting question papers and sought to know the action being taken against them. He pointed out that providing numbers proportionately could be unjust to students receiving less numbers in other questions but who could have scored better in this question. He demanded that full marks be provided for the question concerned.
Rawat urged that the matter be discussed through adjournment motion. However, the Speaker declined the demand stating that no discussion is needed following the Minister's statement. Deputy leader of Opposition Bala Bachchan tried to say something but Sharma continued with the proceedings following which Congress members staged a walkout.