The Budget Session of Haryana Assembly ended on a stormy note on Thursday with Speaker Kanwar Pal Gujjar finding himself at the centre of pandemonium.
High drama was witnessed in the State Assembly when BJP and INlD legislators protested against the Speaker for allowing Congress legislator Raghubir Singh Kadian to speak in the House without signing the attendance register.
Even as the Congress kept away from the entire session protesting against the six months' suspension handed down to its three legislators for tearing the copies of Governor’s address, party’s MlA Raghubir Singh Kadian came to attend the session on the last day and urged the Speaker to withdraw the suspension.
Following this, Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar said that we made efforts to ensure that the Congress legislators come back to attend the House proceedings but it was all in vain. Urging the Speaker to revoke the suspension of three Congress MlAs, the Chief Minister then said that since Thursday was the last day of the Budget Session, the three Congress MlAs should be allowed to attend the House proceedings from the start of next Assembly session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma also urged the Speaker to revoke the suspension, however, Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu slammed the Congress legislators for not attending the House when
issues like Sutlej Yamuna
link canal and Jat reservation
were discussed.
He went onto say that the Congress legislators were still not apologetic for protesting during the Governor’s address and tearing the copies.
Soon after, Health Minister Anil Vij pointed out that Raghubir Kadian has not signed the attendance register and should not be allowed to speak in the State Assembly.
The Speaker then clarified saying that Kadian has remained the Speaker of the House and know all the rules being a senior legislator. “I have allowed him to speak,” added Kanwar Pal Gujjar.
Gujjar also asked to bring the attendance register inside the House so that the Congress legislator could sign it.
Reacting sharply to Speaker’s statement, Cabinet Minister Capt Abhimanyu questioned the Speaker saying, “What kind of rule is thisIJ It is like… we all are forced to go out, only because one person can stay in the House. The Congress legislator should be sent out to sign the attendance register.”
Moments later, the BJP and INlD legislators stood up from their benches protesting against Speaker’s decision of bringing in the attendance register in the House. The BJP and INlD legislators demanded that Kadian should be sent out of the House to sign the attendance register and not allowed to speak till then.
leader of Opposition and INlD senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala told the Speaker that he is setting a wrong example by allowing this. “In next Assembly Sessions, the INlD legislators will also do the same and not sign the attendance register … The register should be brought inside the Assembly for everyone then,” said he.
Amid commotion, Chief Minister intervened saying that a ruling regarding marking of attendance in the House should be brought to the notice of all members by Vidhan Sabha in its next session.
Rules should be made clear to all the legislators so that such situations can be avoided in the future, said Manohar lal.
Congress legislator Kadian then walked out of the House.
Earlier on March 28 also, similar scenes of chaos were witnessed when Congress MlAs who attended the session were taken out of the House by marshals to sign the attendance register following Speaker’s directions. Notably, barring MlA Randeep Singh Surjewala who was not present in the House on March 14, all the other Congress members had been suspended from Haryana Assembly for interrupting the Governor’s address and staging a walkout when he was speaking.
The House had also passed a resolution that the Congress members shall remain suspended for five sittings till the time a discussion on the Governor’s address gets over. later on March 15, three Congress MlAs were suspended for six months for tearing the copies of Governor’s Address.
Haryana Assembly Speaker had on March 17 announced to allow only 11 Congress MlAs to attend the Assembly Session, reducing their suspension punishment by one day.