Six Congress MLAs suspended, Cong seeks Governor's protection

Gandhinagar, Mar 9 (UNI) The Gujarat Assembly today suspended six Congress MLAs for the entire budget session following two adjournments after the House witnessed acrimonious scenes over treasury and opposition benches abused at each other.

When the House reassembled after the adjournment, Leader of the Opposition Arjun Modhvadia demanded Urban Development Minister I K Jadeja's apology for abusing Congress member Paresh Dhanani during the Question Hour and other ruling party members threatening to kill Mr Dhanani.

However, Speaker Mangaldas Patel rejected his demand and allowed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ashok Bhatt to move a resolution to suspend Mr Dhanani and five other Congress MLAs for the entire budget session, which lasts till March 29, for their unruly behaviour.

The resolution was passed by a voice vote in the din as the Congress members rushed to the well of the House, asking to be heard before the resolution was put to vote. The ruling BJP has 128 members in the 182-seat Assembly.

As the Speaker asked the marshall to gently take the six suspended MLAs out of the House, the entire Opposition led by Mr Modhvadia staged a walkout for the rest of the day's proceedings.

The Congress members later walked through the corridors of the Assembly building, shouting slogans that ''Haren Pandya's Hatyara's Dadagiri Nahi Chalegi'' (flexing muscles by killers of Haren Pandya would not be tolerated).

Later, talking to mediapersons, Mr Modhvadia said they would meet Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma to seek physical protection for Mr Dhanani.

The pandemonium began in the House during the Question Hour over a question by Congress legislator Hemabhai Rajput over the plots allotted by the government to house nomadic tribes in the semi-desert Vav-Tharad area in the Banaskantha district as they were being encroached by builders.

MORE UNI VKC KD AK ND1938