Tone for the next four days of Monsoon Session was set on Tuesday with the Opposition parties displaying their resentments on various issues outside the House. leaders from JMM, Congress and of the left parties waved placards and shouted slogans to denounce the steps related to CNT-SPT amendments, farmer distress and land acquisitions.
leader of Opposition Hemant Soren, Kunal Sadangi, Stephen Marandi, Narayan Das and Amit Mahto from the JMM and Congress’ Alamgir Alam and Manoj Yadav were among the others who protested in front of the House. The members were holding placards, saying ‘no change is acceptable in the CNT-SPT Act’, for providing seeds to farmers on time and demand for loan waiver for the peasants.
“The Government has failed on policy front as well as on execution front. On the one hand, they have brought laws detrimental to the interests of the people and farmers of the State and, on the other hand, the officials have failed to provide seeds, fertilisers and loan to them. That is why we have seen unprecedented farmer suicides in the State,” said Hemant Soren before the House met to complete the first day formalities.
The JMM executive president also mentioned about the suicides of farmers during his condolence speech given inside the Assembly which got repeated by BSP’s Kushwaha Shivpujan Mehta and CPI’s Raj Kumar Yadav.
This was different from the names taken up by Speaker Dinesh Oraon, Chief Minister Raghubar Das and leaders from the treasury benches mentioning former Union Minister Santosh Mohan Deo, former Karnataka CM N Dharam Singh, politician and film maker Dasari Narayan Rao, AM Dave, actor Vinod Khana, scientist Yashpal and host of other personalities. Those killed during Amarnath pilgrimage and several others due to natural calamities in different parts of the country were also remembered by the members through observing silence.
Earlier, the Speaker in his inaugural speech congratulated newly elected President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and, at the same time, remembered rich contribution of former President Pranab Mukherjee.
He also named the members who would act as Chairpersons in Speaker’s absence. The list included Stephen Marandi, Ashok Kumar, Phulchand Mandal, Alamgir Alam and Geeta Koda. This apart, a Business Advisory Committee having Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Hemant Soren, Saryu Roy, Chandra Prakash Chaudhary, Alamgir Alam, Pradeep Yadav, CP Singh, Neelkant Singh Munda, Radha Krishna Kishore, Nalin Soren and others was formed and also met to decide the business during the Session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saryu Roy tabled the Bills signed by the Governor and the ‘Action Taken Report’ summarising response of the concerned departments over the assurances given in the House during previous Sessions.