JAIPUR: The assembly was adjourned twice after the question hour on Thursday following opposition uproar over the attack on RSS worker in Kota a day before and the alleged proximity of UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal with the accused.
BJP MLA Vasudev Devnani moved an adjournment motion on the incident during Zero Hour but Speaker C P Joshi did not allow him to speak on which the party members led by deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore stormed the well of the House.
The speaker allowed only independent MLA Sanyam Lodha and opposition leader Gulab Chand Kataria to speak for two minutes on the adjournment motion. This infuriated the opposition members.
BJP MLA Satish Poonia displayed a newspaper cutting carrying the picture of minister Shanti Dhariwal with an accused. Speaker Joshi said he could not be forced by the BJP members and speaker’s decision on such matters could not be questioned. He invited them to the chamber if they had any objection with his ruling.
A defiant speaker continued with the listed business after repeated efforts by him to pacify them fell on deaf ears.
The speaker said he had allowed leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria to speak on the law and order situation and that the opportunity could have been used to raise this incident.
Referring to the uproar by Rajendra Rathore and BJP MLAs, he said, “It is unfortunate that there is competition among you to prove who is more loyal.”
On allegations against Dhariwal’s alleged involvement, the speaker said there are rules raise such issues in the House.
The BJP MLAs then sat on a dharna in the well of the House following which the speaker adjourned the House for half an hour at 12.22pm.
Seeing that the opposition is unrelenting on its protest and the House was again adjourned for the second time till 1:30 pm.
When the House resumed, Joshi asked Kataria to meet him in his chamber to resolve the deadlock.
Kataria said they were willing to go back to their seats provided the chair give an assurance that the chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who is holding the home department, would reply to the incident in the House instead of UDH minister as he himself is under a cloud.
Dhariwal is used to replying in the House on behalf of chief minister on the matters related to home department. The house then began discussion on the governor’s address.