RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Sept.6: State Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon today tabled the first supplementary budget of Rs 4984 crore for the current financial year amidst uproarious scenes created by the BJP MLAs demanding cancellation of the allotment of a room for offering ‘Namaz’ and not debating the issue of unemployment.
Speaker Rabindranath Mahto, who made three attempts to run the house, adjourned the proceedings till 11 am on Tuesday.
The Question hour remained uproarious as the BJP legislators raised slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ in the well of the state assembly.
The BJP legislators moved an adjournment motion at the beginning of question hour demanding cancellation of allotment of room for offering Namaz in the state assembly, the inclusion of Hindi, Sanskrit, Magahi, Bhojpuri and Angika in the list of regional languages mentioned in the employment policy, and reservation for the natives for 10 years in Class III and IV jobs.
Amid their protest, Congress legislator Amba Prasad asked the government regarding the employment targets. BJP legislator Bhanu Pratap Shahi was found disturbing the assembly staff sitting at reporting table. Finding no way out the Speake at 11.40am adjourned the session till 12.45pm.
BJP workers also staged demonstrations outside the house with traditional musical instruments, Jhal and Majeera. They sang ‘Kirtan’ and raised slogans to protest against the allotment of room for offering Namaz in the state assembly.
After the house was reassembled at 12.45pm, Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon tabled the first supplementary budget of Rs 4984 for the current financial year.
However, no discussion took place on the budget after BJP legislators again trooped into the well for demonstration with the same demand after the speaker rejected their adjournment motion.
During the post lunch session, the BJP legislators again created a ruckus in the house after they realised that the speaker had dropped one of two issues planned during the business advisory committee meeting.
The Business advisory committee had decided two issues, employment and dearness, for discussion but when the time of discussion came the speaker dropped ‘employment’ causing inconvenience to the BJP legislators.
Unhappy BJP legislators again trooped into the well and started disrupting the session. Though ruling party leaders Lobin Hembrom besides others participated in the debate on the dearness issue alleging Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the same but their voice was not audible due to ruckus created by the BJP MLAs.
BJP legislator Randhir Kumar Singh accompanied by his party colleague Bhanu Pratap Shahi was noticed jumping on the reporting desk while others were heard shouting slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bol Bam’ besides others on the floor of House.
On one occasion, the ruling party legislators got agitated seeing this behaviour and they also turned up near the well asking BJP legislators to go back to their seats. This caused a situation of confrontation but alert parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam avoided the situation asking the ruling party legislators including Lobin Hembrom, Mamta Devi, Bandhu Tirkey, Irfan Ansari and Uma Shanker Akela to go back.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Hemant Soren Hemant Soren termed the situation unfortunate saying the opposition has become issue-less. He said he had come prepared to reply to the questions of legislators in the question hour but the BJP legislators did not allow this to happen.
Ranchi BJP MLA C.P. Singh, however, held the speaker responsible for the situation saying it was wrong on the part of the speaker to allot a room for a particular community for prayer and dropping the issue of employment from discussion list. He said the act has questioned the impartiality of the speaker.
