The Bihar Assembly on Wednesday witnessed a stalemate as BJP members squatted in the Well of the House with their mouths tied with black bands and refused to budge despite repeated requests from the Chair and the ruling party and its allies. The MlAs led by their leader Nand Kishore Yadav, also the leader of Opposition, refused to return to their seats even though the House was adjourned for two hours post lunch break.
Yadav talking to mediapersons in his chamber alleged that neither he nor the BJP members were allowed to raise important issues and the mike of the leader of Opposition was switched off. “This is an attempt to gag the voice of Opposition. If we are not allowed to speak how we can raise public issues,” he asked and blamed Speaker Udai Narayan Chaudhary for playing partisan role.
Chaudhary stoutly denied the allegation. He said, “It is the practice that the mikes of the leader of the House and leader of Opposition are never switched off. Yadav might have some misunderstanding. During the chaos his voice could not be heard in the din.” The Speaker said he was keen to end this stalemate and appealed to the Opposition repeatedly to return to their seats but to no avail. The Government too took initiative but they did not listen, he added.
Yadav said it happened during the zero hour when BJP members wanted to raise the issue of bomb blast in a residential colony in Patna on Monday night and an adjournment motion had been brought by his party MlA Arun Shankar which was summarily rejected. “I said that this was a serious issue and there is suspicion that the incident might have links with the terrorists but my mike was switched off. The chair should explain when and how the opposition raises its voice in the Assembly,” Yadav said.
He also lamented that in the second half the Speaker only asked them to return to their seats but said nothing about the stalemate nor regretted for switching off the mike of the leader of opposition. He also claimed that his members did not disturb the proceedings.