leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh on Saturday created history in the State Assembly by resorting to an indefinite dharna in the well of the House, protesting the role of Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat in adjourning the House abruptly in pre-lunch sitting and urging for a discussion on the sensitive issue of the killing of Tikiri lady teacher Itishree Pradhan with a reply by the Chief Minister.
The dharana would continue till the Chief Minister concedes to the demand and replies to the adjournment motion, said Singh. Supporting him, his party colleagues also joined him in the indefinite dharana, putting the Speaker in a precarious position. The Speaker in the afternoon session adjourned the House at 3:57 pm as the leader of Opposition sat on the dharana protesting his ruling and did not budge despite his repeated request to return to seat. There was a wrangling between the Congress members, the Speaker and the Treasury Bench members over the abrupt adjournment.
later, the Opposition Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan told newsmen outside the House that since deceased Itishree named Chief Minister in her dying statement, the Congress demanded that the Chief Minister, who holds the Home portfolio, must reply to the adjournment motion. Alleging that the Government and the Speaker have tried to gag the Opposition’s voice in the Assembly, Harichandan said the adjournment motion was the only option of the Opposition to discuss and air their views on an issue in the House.
He regretted that though the Speaker first accepted the adjournment notice for discussion on Saturday, he later did not allow the discussion under the pressure of the Treasury Bench who wanted to evade the issue. The ruling party had tried to divert the attention of the House from the issue to save the Chief Minister by stalling the House proceedings with an uproar on Center’s meager calamity assistance, he said.
Harichandan sought the Speaker to give a ruling on Monday under what circumstances the adjournment was not taken up for debate and why the Chief Minister would not make his statement. He said that on the plea of meeting the delegation of 14th Finance Commission, the Chief Minister had tried to skip the adjournment motion. But the Congress members would not allow the Chief Minister go scot free, he said.