2 Cong MLAs suspended for 3 yrs from Guj Assembly, third for a year

Two Congress legislators were on Wednesday suspended for an unprecedented three years from the Gujarat Assembly and another for one year after members came to blows over a demand for a discussion on the death of two children in Sabarmati’s Asaram Ashram.

Speaker Rajendra Trivedi suspended Pratap Dudhat and Amrish Der for three years and Baldev Thakore for a year following acrimonious scenes in the state assembly. The entire opposition Congress staged a walkout after the strong action by the Speaker.

The disruptions erupted immediately after Question Hour as Congress MLA Vikram Madam sought to raise a point of order over the death of two children in the Ashram in 2008, even as Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Pradeepsinh Jadeja wanted a discussion on wastage of time in the House.

Madam wanted to know whether the government intended to table the report of the commission entrusted to investigate the unfortunate incident. But the Speaker ruled that such points of order were not allowed.

Another Congress MLA Ambrish Der joined Madam and started questioning the Speaker’s ruling on the matter. As, one by one, other Congress MLAs also started asking the same question of the Speaker, there was chaos in the House and the atmosphere became tense. Apparently agitated over something told him by BJP MLA Jagdish Panchal, Dudhat rushed from his place towards the treasury benches, grabbed a microphone from the desk and threw it towards Jagdish Panchal. Fortunately, the microphone missed Panchal.