The Madhya Pradesh legislative Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes on Friday after the Congress members raised the issue of alleged corruption in the Simhastha Kumbh mela.
Acting leader of Opposition Bala Bachchan and Congress legislators Mukesh Nayak, Ram Niwas Rawat and Jeetu Patwari, among others, insisted on accepting their adjournment motion, which they had submitted earlier, on the issue of corruption in Kumbh mela.
Though the Chair did not accept the motion, the Congress members insisted on moving the motion during a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee. However, the Speaker allowed them only to mention the motion in Zero Hour.
Raising the issue during the stipulated time, Nayak levelled allegations of graft, which were vociferously objected to by the ruling BJP MlAs.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra then requested the Speaker to allow the Government to respond to the charges of the Opposition, to which Congress members raised strong objection. Amid the bedlam, the Speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
However, Nayak resumed his attack after the House re-assembled, to which Mishra again requested the Chair to allow him to reply on the Congress' charges.
Amid heated exchanges between the Treasury and Opposition benches on the issue and uproarious scenes, the Speaker again adjourned the proceedings for 10 minutes.
Even after the Assembly resumed its sitting, Nayak and Mishra did not relent.
The Speaker then said he had allowed Nayak only to raise the issue and not to give a speech.
Congress members then rushed to the Well of the House raising slogans against the Speaker and the ruling party.
Amid pandemonium, the Speaker transacted the listed business. However, as his appeal to restore order fell on deaf ears, he adjourned the Assembly sine die.
later, talking to reporters in the Assembly media room, Bachchan and Nayak alleged irregularities pertaining to purchase of toilets, pitchers, and shoes during the religious fair.
They also alleged corruption in the organisation of 'Malwa Utsav Mela' and pegged the overall graft to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore.
Commenting on the proceedings in the House, they alleged that the Speaker did not admit their adjournment motion at the behest of the Government and to save Mishra's close relative who was the in-charge of the Kumbh mela.
However, the Minister said he failed to understand the Congress’ insistence on admitting the motion only on the
last day of the session.
"In order to let down Bachchan, who is a ST leader, the Congress raised the issue on the last day only when their general secretary Digvijay Singh tweeted the matter recently," Mishra claimed.
He said the entire show on the floor of the House today was "staged" by Congress members with an intention to raise their "stock" in the eyes of their leaders.
"This is the reason that State Congress president Arun Yadav and other leaders remained present in the visitors' gallery to keep an eye on their party leaders," Mishra claimed.
Refuting the Congress' charge that the Speaker did not admit the adjournment motion "at the behest of Government", he said, "the Chair has a lot of official and non-official business to transact on the last day of the session, and it was not possible for him to accommodate the motion. If they (Congress) are serious about it, they should have raised it on day one."
On the allegations against his close relative, Mishra said the Congress members are free to lodge a complaint against him with the lokayukta or can approach the court.
"There is no substance in their allegations," he added. Mishra said, "Congress members have inflated figures of purchases in the Kumbh fair by adding a few zeros before the actual amount, to make it a big issue."