Hry Cong MLAs disrupt guv address, suspended
HEALTH MINISTER ANIL VIJ ASKED SPEAKER KANWAR PAL TO TAKE A SERIOUS NOTE OF THE DISRUPTION BEFORE THE GOVERNOR’S ADDRESS BY CONGRESS AND INLD MLAs
CHANDIGARH: Minutes before Gover nor Kaptan Singh Solanki’s address on the first day of the budget session, the Haryana assembly witnessed ruckus with Congress legislature party leader Kiran Choudhry, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former speaker Kuldeep Sharma and others asking Solanki not to deliver his speech.
Later, the Congress legislators boycotted the address and also tore its copies. Protesting ag ainst the Punjab- Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal Land (transfer of proprietary rights) Bill, 2016, Hooda said since the Centre, Haryana and Punjab were all ruled by BJP governments, why didn’t they stall the “unconstitutional” legislation of Punjab.
MLA Karan Dalal said that since the Governor was a representative of the central government, his speech in the Punjab assembly was reflection of Central government’s intentions to hit Haryana’s interests. “This is a conspiracy of the central government,” he alleged.
Health minister Anil Vij asked speaker Kanwar Pal to take a serious note of the disruption before the governor’s address by opposition Congress and INLD MLAs.
Vij said it was a grave vio- lation of the Rule 17 of the Assembly Business Rules to disrupt the governor’s address before, during or after it. “It is a very serious matter and contempt of House,” he said, following which parliamentary affairs minister Ram Bilas Sharma proposed the motion to take action against Congress and INLD MLAs, which was seconded by Panchkula MLA Gian Chand Gupta, amid uproar by Congress MLAs.
Disruption of proceedings, including causing interruption and holding protest immediately before and after the the governor address or during the address is treated as contempt of the House under the Rules of procedure and conduct of Haryana assembly.
As the Speaker passed the motion, the Congress MLAs created an uproar on which Vij demanded one-day jail and fine – as per a provision in the said rules - for them for the said contempt of House.
This prompted the Congress MLAs, including Kiran Choudhry, Kuldeep Sharma and Karan Dalal, who started shouting that they would rather prefer going to jail for justice for people of Haryana. They went into well of the House where several of them also tore the copies of the governor’s address.
Even as the House also moved a motion condemning INLD MLAs too for the disruption before the governor’s address, Sharma said that though it was condemnable, the Congress’ sin was “much more bigger” as they were challenging the law despite having done wrong.
However, even as several INLD MLAs, including Nuh MLA Zakir Hussain, demanded the speaker to withdraw the motion, condemning the disruption by them, the speaker refused to do so, maintaining that it was a contempt. On this, the INLD MLAs also staged a walkout.
Haryana Janhit Congress MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi sought reprive for the ousted Congress MLAs and requested the Speaker to call them back in the House. Bishnoi said that it was unfair that while Congress MLAs had been suspended from the House for boycotting the governor’s address, the INLD MLAs, who too interrupted the proceedings before governor started his address, have been let off with censure only.