Recruitment row protests cited for BJP MLAs’ absence

Jharkhand assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato on Monday questioned the absence of BJP legislators from the House, saying raising queries and then not attending the proceedings was "not considered good practice in the parliamentary system".

As the House assembled at 11 am on the third day of the Monsoon session, Mahato called out the names of BJP MLAs Nagendra Mahto, Chandreswar Prasad Singh and Raj Sinha to raise their queries during the Question Hour.

However, when there was no response from the legislators, the speaker remarked, "Raising questions in the House and then not attending the proceedings is not considered good practice in the parliamentary system.

Later, Ranchi MLA Singh said circumstances arising out of protests over alleged recruitment exam irregularities compelled them to remain absent from the assembly.

"I was among the BJP leaders protesting outside the CM's residence against the irregularities in the recruitment examination and we were detained by the police around 10.30 am," he said.

Singh said they were currently lodged at a guest house in Khelgaon in Hotwar by the police.

"In such a situation, how could we attend the House," he asked.

Singh said he has been in the parliamentary system for over three decades, and it was rare for him to skip House proceedings.

Earlier in the day, BJP legislators had gheraoed the residence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and were subsequently detained.

The Monsoon session of the assembly began on August 6. The supplementary budget for the 2026-27 fiscal was tabled in the House on August 7.