The Bharatiya Janata Party members of both Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad staged an indefinite dharna inside the well of the both Houses demanding a 10-day legislature proceeding saying this short monsoon session was not enough to discuss the problems people are facing.
After Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey adjourned the House for the day on Monday following pandemonium created by the opposition parties the BJP members, who were in the well, squatted on the floor of the House.
“It is undemocratic on the part of the state government to summon such a small session. We want that Government should summon the House for 10 days. Until the Government declares it we will continue with our dharna,” BJP state president Dr laxmi Kant Bajpai told the Pioneer on Monday.
leader of BJP legislature party in Vidhan Sabha Suresh Khanna said in a statement that the rule 14 of the Procedure for Conduct of Vidhan Sabha proceedings says that Government should summon the House once every two month for a tenure of minimum 10 days.
“The state government has summoned this House after five months that too for six days. No business could take place on first day as the House condoled the death of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. How can members raise pressing issues like deterioration in law and order, Yadav Singh issue, issues related with farmers and corruption in government working. We need at least 10 days to have a threadbare discussion on these issues,” Khanna said.
leader of BJP legislature party in Vidhan Parishad Hridaya Narain Dixit said that BJP wants to raise people’s voice in the House. But the government is adamant to muzzle that voice, he said and added that the dharna will continue till government agrees to extend the proceedings of the House for 10 days.
Five members of BJP are sitting in dharna in Vidhan Parishad.
Dixit said that Government does not want discussion on these issues. It wants to complete its legislative business and then House will be adjourned.
Around 3 pm Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey went to the well of House and persuaded the agitating BJP members to end their dharna. “I have assured the members that I will give them time and listen to them tomorrow if they raise these issues in pertinent sections,” Pandey told this reporter.
Chairman Vidhan Parishad Ganesh Shankar Pandey too met the agitating MlCs but they refused to end the dharna.