Oppn to boycott rest of monsoon session: Tejashwi

PATNA: Bihar’s leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Tuesday announced that the opposition members will boycott rest of the monsoon session of the state legislature since there was no favourable response from the state government on their demand for action against officials responsible for manhandling of opposition members on March 23 during budget.

The five-day monsoon session, which began on July 26, ends on July 30.

“We had demanded from the Speaker that a debate should be held inside the Assembly on the March 23 episode when opposition members were brutally assaulted. But today, our demand for debate was rejected. All GA members will boycott the House sittings in the ongoing monsoon session. We feel there is no point in going to the House which is being treated as some people’s fiefdom,” Yadav told reporters outside the Assembly soon after opposition members staged a walkout in the postlunch session.

On March 23, Opposition members were staging a protest against Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021, when police were called to assist marshals to forcibly evict them. Some RJD and Congress members alleged they were brutally assaulted by policemen.

Earlier on Tuesday, during the pre-lunch session in the state Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav had demanded a debate on the March 23 and said the suspension of two policemen was not enough.

Parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, in his reply, said that the March 23 incident was unprecedented and the SC had recently made strong observations over legislators indulging in unruly behaviour inside assemblies. The minister urged the Speaker to look at the video footage of the ruckus inside the Assembly on March 23 and take necessary action against police as well legislators.

Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha said the March 23 episode, when members indulged in turning tables and jostling to demonstrate dissent, was unprecedented but nothing new as such unruly behaviour had happened in the past in the state assembly and in Parliament. “Whenever such unruly behaviour has happened in the Bihar Assembly, action has been taken against erring legislators based on motion brought by the government. For instance, on August 6, 2015, Jyoti Rashmi was suspended from the house and committees on a motion brought by the government. On August 2, 2010, 71 legislators were suspended on a motion by the government,” the Speaker said.

Sinha said the March 23 episode was a manifestation of heightened impulsive behaviour for which some strict action was required to control the situation. “The incident has been referred to ethics committee while a high-level committee has been formed by the state police to look into conduct of policemen. Two policemen have been suspended. We will get the reports soon,” the Speaker said.

Opposition members immediately rushed to the well of the House to demand more action. The protests continued in post lunch session.