The House saw some acrimonious exchanges among the MlAs on Wednesday soon after it commenced. As the opposition MlAs were shouting slogans from inside the well of the House the BJP MlA Desharaj Karanwal claimed that the opposition is anti-Dalit as they are disrupting the Question Hour, citing that he had a question listed for the Question Hour pertaining to the welfare of the Dalit community. Sharp exchanges were heard too between the BJP MlA Surendra Singh and the Congress MlA Qazi Nizamuddin when the former questioned the opposition’s insistent demand on a debate on the farmers’ issue under section 310 which was unacceptable to the treasury bench while stopping the Dalit issue from being discussed. Qazi reacted sharply, asking the BJP MlA to mind his language with the opposition remaining serious on the farmers’ issue. “You are instead making a mockery of the serious issue,” he retorted.
Observers said that the Qazi remaining the most vocal and logical voice of the opposition camp, the treasury bench is hardly in a position to shout him down, particularly when it comes to the matter related to the Dalits. He was the MlA who had raised the issue of the statues of the Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar being vandalised. According to the observers, the BJP MlA Karnwal has been striving hard to project himself as the Dalit face of the party.
Congress MlA Rajkumar, who also represents a reserved seat in Garhwal region, chipped in and asked Karnwal not to try to usurp the cause of the Dalit, citing that he himself represents the community in the House.
Karnwal then asked the MlAs to look at his face and decide who is the true representative of the Dalit community, the remark sending the House to roaring laughter. Even the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat could not have controlled his laughter and said that Karnwal is a staunch supporter of Baba Saheb Ambedkar.
The Zero Hour saw another bout of sharp exchanges. With the Minister Madan Kaushik being heard tearing into the loP Indira Hridayesh repeatedly, Qazi Nizamuddin asked Kaushik to explain whether he represented the Brahmin caste he claims he belongs to.