Cong MLAs march to Assembly; Speaker objects to protest at gate

The budget Session of the Vidhan Sabha witnessed high drama on Tuesday as Congress MLAs marched to the Assembly, protesting against the BJP government over alleged corruption, recruitment irregularities, rising drug abuse and deteriorating law and order.

Led by Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh, the MLAs marched from High Court Chowk to the Assembly, staging a sit-in before proceedings began. Holding placards and rattles, they termed the BJP regime a “deaf government”.

“This is a deaf government which does not hear its people. The state is grappling with scams in recruitment… corruption is rampant in MNREGA… farmers are neglected, there are no opportunities for employment, the government has failed the youth stranded abroad,” Hooda said.

Rao Narender said, “The state has fallen prey to scamsters and gangsters. The government is unable to bring crime under control… The government just doesn’t care.”

The protest, however, drew objection from Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, who expressed dissatisfaction over demonstrations at the Speaker’s gate, stating that the Chief Minister and ministers had to enter through a different route. “Protesting in the well is against parliamentary practices… body language of many MLAs was inconsistent with expectations,” he observed, urging members to maintain discipline.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said the Congress should have protested at Sector 25 ground. “Why did you protest here? No one will stop there,” he said.

Hooda defended the action, saying, “No rule was violated… It is our right to protest. In our Parliament too, MPs sit on stairs. If the CM is asking us to protest in Sector 25, we will protest there too.”