Assembly adjourned after protest over SEZ and Agrofed issues

Chandigarh, Sep 19: The Haryana assembly was today adjourned following a walk-out by the opposition Indian National Lok Dal(INLD) over the Hooda government's Special Economic Zone (SEZ) deal with Reliance and the vociferous protest by the party over the controversial Agrofed issue.

The INLD members staged a walkout during the question hour when chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was speaking about the ambitious SEZ to be developed by the Reliance in Gurgaon and Jhajjar districts in the state.

Mr Hooda was seeking to allay the apprehensions of the concerned members over the SEZ deal when the INLD members, led by Dr Sushil Kumar Indora, rose up and started shouting slogans against the chief minister and his government for the controversial deal.

They alleged that Mr Hooda was misleading the house by making false statement on the floor of the assembly with regard to the SEZ agreement. Mr Hooda had stated that the state would benefit to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore by the SEZ.

Speaker Raghubir Singh Kadian and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala tried to pacify the agitated INLD members but they continued the slogan shouting and staged a walkout from the house at a time when the question hour was about to be concluded. The INLD members came back in the house as soon as the zero hour began and indulged in shouting slogans again. They brandished some photographs and newspaper clippings with regard to the controversial Agrofed issue.

The INLD members came in the well of the house and despite repeated pleas by the Speaker and the parliamentary affairs minister continued shouting slogans against the government and the chief minister.

The Speaker adjourned the house for half an hour when the INLD members refused to go back to their seats.

UNI