In a significant development within the Rajasthan Assembly, Speaker Vasudev Devnani on Tuesday debarred Congress MLA Mukesh Bhakar for six months. This decision came after a night-long protest in the Well of the House by Congress legislators, who had previously thwarted attempts by the marshals to evict Bhakar following his initial suspension. Bhakar, who was initially suspended for the current session due to what was termed "indecent behaviour" in the House, refused to leave the Assembly even when proceedings resumed on Tuesday morning. The defiant MLA continued to shout slogans, prompting Speaker Devnani to extend the suspension to six months.
The Assembly witnessed further disruption on Tuesday morning, with Congress MLAs raising slogans in the Well of the House. Despite repeated appeals by the Speaker to return to their seats, the chaos persisted, leading to Devnani adjourning the House sine die. Devnani said that he would listen to the Congress members after the Question Hour and asked the protesting MLAs to send Bhakar out of the House.
Why was Congress MLA debarred?
During the protest around 11.45 am, Congress MLA Ramila Khadiya felt uneasy and the speaker adjourned the House for half an hour. Khadiya was examined by the doctors in the assembly. After the House reassembled and Bhakar did not leave, the speaker suspended him for six months on a proposal moved by Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg and adjourned the House sine die. Earlier, Garg said that Bhakar had not left the House despite being suspended on Monday and the opposition members were protecting him, which was unconstitutional. He claimed that when the Congress MLA was being forcibly taken out of the House on Monday, he bit two security staff members, including a woman.
During the discussion on issues of the Disaster Management and Relief department, BJP MLA Gopal Sharma suddenly started commenting on Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress leader was having a party in Gurugram when the terrorist attack happened in Mumbai. He said all this has been published in news reports. To this, the Congress MLAs objected and trooped into the well.
Bhakar terms decision 'unconstitutional'
Meanwhile, Bhakar termed the decision "unconstitutional" and claimed that it was influenced by the BJP pressure. "We wanted to discuss the improper appointment of the Law Minister's son. Initially, the Speaker instructed us to take our seats, promising to address it later. When opposition leaders spoke, BJP members interjected while standing in between," he told the media.
Chaos in Rajasthan Assembly
The chaos in the House on Monday erupted when Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully raised the issue of the appointment of government lawyers under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and demanded a reply from the government. Chairperson Sandeep Sharma ordered the marshals to evict Bhakar from the House. The other Congress MLAs prevented the marshals from escorting him out of the House. The Congress members then sat on a dharna in the Well of the House even after the chairperson announced an adjournment for the day.
(With inputs from PTI)
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