Haryana House adjourned twice after Congress MLAs protest treatment at Assembly gate

The Haryana Assembly witnessed repeated disruptions on the opening day of its Monsoon Session on Thursday, August 27, after Congress MLAs alleged they were manhandled while being stopped from carrying out a protest march to the Vidhan Sabha.

The House was adjourned twice as Congress legislators questioned whether they had been denied their democratic right to hold a peaceful protest, while Speaker Harvinder Kalyan maintained that members were required to follow the rules governing the Assembly premises.

The protest began in the morning when Congress MLAs, led by Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and dressed in black, marched from the High Court roundabout towards the Vidhan Sabha.

Carrying placards, the legislators raised issues concerning youth, alleged theft of donations for the Ram temple, the condition of sanitation workers and alleged scams.

Security personnel stopped the MLAs near the Assembly entrance and told them they could not enter the premises until they ended the protest and removed the placards. They were subsequently allowed inside without the placards.

Congress MLA Kuldeep Vats alleged that security personnel pushed him at the gate and that he suffered bruises on several parts of his body, including his elbows.

“Don't the MLAs have the democratic right to protest peacefully? This is murder of democracy,” Vats told reporters, claiming he was not carrying a placard when he was stopped.

The issue soon spilled into the House, with Hooda strongly objecting to the treatment of his party colleagues before Question Hour.

Hooda said that despite having served as a six-time MLA and four-term MP, he had never witnessed such behaviour towards legislators.

Kalyan said members had a responsibility to follow the prescribed rules and regulations. When Hooda alleged that Congress MLAs had been pushed, the Speaker said he would first gather complete information before taking any decision.

“MLAs have many special privileges. But the Rules prohibit them from doing many other things,” Kalyan said, urging members to cooperate with security personnel.

Congress legislators continued to protest and refused to settle down, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House for 20 minutes.

When proceedings resumed, the confrontation continued. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is the Leader of the House, accused the opposition of having a fixed agenda to “speak lies and not listen”.

Senior Congress MLA Raghuvir Singh Kadian maintained that pushing the legislators at the Assembly gate amounted to a breach of their privileges.

“Manhandling was done,” Kadian said.

With the Congress members continuing to raise the issue, the Speaker adjourned the House for another 30 minutes.

(With inputs from PTI)