Jharkhand BJP MLAs stage protest inside Assembly with no electricity, to stay put in House through the night
Chief Minister Hemant Soren said he would reply to all questions with ‘proper statistics’ on Thursday or Friday but protesting members refused to budge even after power inside the Assembly was switched off
Jharkhand BJP MLAs protest inside the Assembly during the Monsoon session, in Ranchi on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ally All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) on Wednesday staged a protest inside Jharkhand Assembly till late night while claiming to stay overnight there in protest against Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s “refusal to reply to their questions” raised inside the House on keys issues.
The Chief Minister said he would reply to all questions raised by the Opposition with “proper statistics” later on Thursday or Friday but protesting members refused to budge even after electricity inside the Assembly was switched off.
Earlier, Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto had adjourned the House till 11 a.m. on Thursday. The Opposition MLAs continued their protest while staging a sit-in in the Well of the House. Later, power was cut off for the Assembly. Food packets, however, were seen distributed inside the State Assembly for the Opposition legislators sitting on protest.
“It’s a murder of democracy as the government did not reply to our MLAs questions inside the State Assembly and it was later adjourned till Thursday. We’ll not budge from there even at night,” Jharkhand BJP in-charge Laxmikant Bajpai told presspersons. “The Opposition legislators, in fact, have been held hostage inside the Assembly as lights and air-conditioners were switched off and drinking water supply too was cut off. The MLAs are sitting on protest in the dark,” Mr. Bajpai added.
When CM Soren visited the Assembly to meet protesting Opposition legislators, they refused to disperse and continued their protest. The BJP has 21 MLAs and AJSU two who were sitting on protest. Chief whip of the BJP Biranchi Narayan, though, came out of the House for some time and told media persons: “We placed our demand before the Chief Minister and sought his assurance for reply but he said he would reply on Friday when we want his reply by Thursday as our questions were related with people including the issue of employment”. Mr. Narayan asserted that “they would stay inside the House through the night”.
However, ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and legislator Mithilesh Thakur termed the protest by Opposition MLAs as baal hath (childish obstinacy) and he claimed that they were setting a wrong precedent in State politics. “Opposition members cannot decide how the Assembly should run as it is the prerogative of the Speaker. They’re protesting as this is an election year in the State and it is expected from the Opposition camp,” said Congress leader Dipika Pandey Singh. The party is an ally of the ruling JMM in the State.
Earlier, the BJP and AJSU MLAs created pandemonium inside the State Assembly on Wednesday demanding Mr. Soren’s reply on questions, they said, related with public welfare. “We wanted to know from the CM about his promise to provide five lakh jobs to youth,” said Mr. Narayan of the BJP.
Later, the CM said since he has come out of jail, Opposition party members have become “uneasy and panicky”. “But I assure them that I would reply to all their questions and satisfy them with proper statistics on jobs,” Mr. Soren further said. But the Opposition members continued to protest and trooped into the Well of the House. They also shouted slogans against the government and later the Speaker adjourned the House.
However, when the House reconvened for the post-lunch session, Leader of the Opposition in Assembly Amar Bauri raised the issue of providing five lakh jobs to youths, unemployment allowances and regularisation of contractual workers in the State. “We want the Chief Minister’s reply as this is the last session of the fifth Jharkhand Assembly and if CM speaks, gives his reply on the concluding day, we’ll not be allowed for counter questions,” alleged Mr. Bauri. Assembly elections in Jharkhand, which has a total of 81 seats, are due later this year.
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