As per the rulebook, the leader of the Opposition is the one who leads members from the parties not in power in the House. But the rapport got diminished in the Jharkhand Assembly.
The scene played on Thursday left the main Opposition party JMM and its leader Hemant Soren perplexed and embarrassed and perhaps drove him out of the House in a huff.
leading 35-odd MlAs who are not part of the treasury bench, Hemant looked dismayed when BSP’s Kushwaha Shivpujan Mehta and Navjawan Sangharh Morcha’s Bhanu Pratap Shahi rubbed him for a comment.
“It is shameful for all of us. We are MlAs and know our duties. You should mind your language before alleging us to do sycophancy of the Government. Even you in the past have not delivered your duties as Opposition leader. We are here critically examining the conduct of the Government and praising as well as criticising it as per the merit. You should recall what I have done for you in the past. It was I who had once helped you reaching the Rajya Sabha,” said Shahi.
Similar was the anger of the BSP member who questioned the wisdom of Hemant Soren. The members went on high over a comment coming from the loP terming them playing out as brokers for the Government when they were speaking on the Thanks Giving Motion on the Governor’s speech.
The members were sounding soft and heard praising the Government for the works done in the fields of electricity, road and law and order but, at the same time, cited several laggard projects in their areas to maintain a distance.
Reason for Hemant’s outrage was the members not being so critical of the Government in their speeches, especially when the JMM and few other members constantly shouted slogans and descended into the well demanding removal of Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma, DGP DK Pandey and ADG Anurag Gupta for their alleged roles in the different cases.
However, the scathing and sudden outburst from the Opposition members left red faced loP to walkout from the House along with his partymen. Not complaining was the BJP members and even Chief Minister Raghubar Das was seen with a rare smile on his face after so long.
This also provided open field for the ruling party members to go on and praise the Government for its works done so far. Radha Krishna Kishore justifying the Governor’s address termed the tenure outstanding on many counts while Anant Ojha cited action taken against naxals which, he claimed, helped in building safer atmosphere in the State. Debate on the motion would continue on Friday when the Government would come up with reply.
Unable to speak inside the House JVM’s Pradeep Yadav went on attacking the CS and the DGP. “The Government is not removing CS on the behest of Delhi. The DGP is a ‘maut ka saudagar’ who had falsely labeled 514 youths as naxal and made them to surrender. later he went on facilitating a fake encounter at Bakoria,” alleged the MlA.