The Winter Session of the State legislative Assembly concluded today with meagre amount of business in the House on Thursday amid Opposition’s uproar on various issues including the plight of farmers due to drought and teachers’ ongoing strike in the State. The House, however, gave nod to four Bills on the last day of the Assembly and took back Medical Protection Bill 2017 for bringing in necessary changes.
Even before the House proceedings began in the morning Opposition party MLAs began their protest outside the House on various issues including entry of outsiders in teachers’ recruitment, farmers’ plight in the State due to drought and illegal stone quarrying in various areas. As the House began Opposition MLAs again demanded to bring in work adjournment motion, which was rejected by Speaker Dinesh Oraon.
The Speaker tried his best to pacify the Opposition MLAs but they continued raising slogans amid question hour. The House was finally adjourned by the Speaker till 12:45 PM. When the House reassembled MLA Bhanu Pratap Shahi raised the issue of entry of outsiders in teachers’ recruitment. Opposition party legislators came into the well and again started raising slogans. And, while the agitation continued Parliamentary Affairs Minister Neelkanth Singh Munda tabled three Reports of the Comptroller and Accountant General of India in the House, which was again adjourned till 2 PM.
The final seating of the House began at 2:11 PM when issues like Blanket distribution scam, missing para teachers and drought and elephants’ menace were raised by legislators, but the Speaker preferred to continue with legislative work.
Health Minister Ram Chandra Chandravanshi proposed to take back Medical Protection Bill -2017, which he said needed rectification. The House gave nod to the proposal.
The ruling coalition then tabled the Jharkhand Reservation in Posts and Services (for ST, SC and backward classes) Amendment Bill -2018, which was also passed despite Leader of Opposition Hemant Soren and JVM MLA Pradep Yadav’s proposal to send it to select committee. The leaders wanted clarity in the Bill on reservation for women and Divyang persons.
Transport Minister CP Singh then tabled the Jharkhand Motor vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill 201, which was again subjected to Opposition MLAs protest. JVM leader Pradeep Yadav said that the law will pt burden on poor farmers of the State and also on the common masses, who will have to pay more tax. Opposition Leader Hemant Soren also raised objections to the Bill and said that it should be sent to select committee.
Interestingly, BJP’s Chief Whip Radha Krishna Kishore also expressed his wish that the Bill should be sent to select committee before being passed by the House.
The Speaker ordered voting on the issue and Kishore, despite his arguments against the motion, had to fall on ruling coalition’s side. Finally, the proposal to send the Bill to select committee was rejected after the Opposition was defeated by 19 against 35 votes. The entire Opposition staged a walk out from the House.
Three more legislations – Jharkhand State Universities (Amendment) Bill 2018, Indian Stamp (Jharkhand Amendment) Bill 2018 and Jharkhand Shops and Establishment (Amendment) Bill 2018 were passed by the House.
In his concluding speech Speaker Dinesh Oraon said that 189 questions were received by the Assembly for the Session but just one question could be answered in the House. He further said that out of 159 questions approved by the Assembly written answers of 125 questions have been received by the House.
The Speaker wished that the legislators understand their responsibility towards the people of the State and allow more work in the House when in is in motion. He also wished the people of the State a happy and prosperous new year and declared the House sine die.