It was a stormy start to the brief Monsoon Session of the Chhattisgarh Assembly on Monday as Speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal suspended the Congress members twice after they stormed into the Well of the House demanding his resignation over an alleged Government land grabbing case.
Immediately after the House paid obituary reference to the departed leaders — former Union Minister Gopinath Munde, former minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh BR Yadav and former MP Madan Tiwari, Congress member Bhupesh Baghel tried to bring up the issue on alleged Government land grabbing case for construction of a temple and a market during the Question Hour.
BJP member and senior Minister Ajay Chandrakar led the counter attack and strongly protested against the Congress MlAs, saying that the Opposition cannot raise the issue other than in the form of a supplementary question during the Question Hour.
Baghel claimed that there had been many instances in the House when the Question Hour had been suspended and issues had been discussed in the House. The Speaker asked the members of both the Treasury and the Opposition benches to remain calm and ensure smooth conduct of the Question Hour.
After the end of the Question Hour, BJP member and Higher Education Minister Prem Prakash Pandey raised point of order with permission from the Speaker. He referred to leader of Opposition TS Singhdeo's speech after Gaurishanker Agrawal was unanimously elected on January 6 as the Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Assembly.
He said that the leader of Opposition had appreciated Agrawal for his impartial attitude and supportive behaviour at that time.
While Baghel took objection to this; the Speaker intervened giving Pandey opportunity to complete.
The BJP member continued that the leader of Opposition and other Congress members of the Assembly who had unanimously elected Agrawal were now giving statements against the Speaker in the media and his effigy was being torched in public.
Baghel raised objection to the point of order and said that Pandey was raising an irrelevant issue and soon all Congress members joined him demanding resignation of the Speaker.
The Congress members then entered into the well of the House and shouted slogans demanding the Speaker's resignation.
The Speaker as per the Chhattisgarh Assembly Rule, suspended 34 Congress members first for five minutes for storming the Well of the House.
After the House reassembled, the Speaker informed the House that the notice of resolution in this regard had been received and was under examination.
To this, Baghel asked for deciding the date for discussion regarding the resolution. BJP member and Agriculture Minister Brijmohan Agrawal intervened and said that members should honour the ruling of the Speaker.
Baghel insisted to follow the rules of the House and gave some remark on the Speaker. The BJP members took strong exception of the remark and sought apology from him.
Once again, the members of both the Treasury bench and the Opposition locked themselves in arguments creating a din in the House.
later, the Congress members while shouting slogans once again stormed into the well of the House which made the Speaker suspend them for the rest of the day.