The Guajarat Assembly witnessed ugly scenes on Thursday after members of the Opposition Congress and the ruling BJP exchanged blows, leaving four legislators, including a lady minister injured.

Speaker Ramanlal Vora suspended Congress MLAs Baldev Thakor and Paresh Dhanani for the Budget Session, which began on Monday and ends on March 31.

Earlier in the day, Congress MLA Paresh Dhanani raised the issue of farmer suicides in the State, to which the BJP legislators responded with abusive language. Irked, the Congress MLAs rushed to the well and snatched the papers from Agriculture Minister Chimanbhai Sapariya. However, both parties blamed each other for the chaos.

The BJP members accused the Congress MLAs of physically hurting the Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare Nirmala Wadhwani. “Such commotion has never happened in this Assembly. This is a sad day and the acts by Congress MLAs are a blot on the history of this House,” Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said.

The Congress, on the other hand, alleged that it was the ruling party that had first attacked its members. “It is a black day for democracy. Our members were attacked by the BJP MLAs,” said Shaktisinh Gohil, Congress leader.

Members from both sides resorted to vandalism in the House, hurling microphones, chairs and tearing papers.

The Congress had upped the ante against the government from the first day of the session on multiple issues, including farmer suicides and atrocities on women.