Four members suspended for disrupting Governor's Speech

Jaipur, Mar 1 (UNI) Four opposition members in the Rajasthan assembly were suspended for disrupting the Governor's speech during the budget session which began here today.

Pandemonium prevailed in the house throughout the day with Opposition and ruling party members involved in wrangling over procedure.

Tension was in the air from the very beginning when Communist Marxist Party (CPM) MLA Amraram, Lok Jan Shakti Party MLA Ranveer Singh Gudha, and Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs Suresh Meena rushed to the well of the House when Governor Pratibha Patil started the speech.

They shouted slogans against the government throughout the brief address, protesting against the high handedness of the government in dealing with the farmers agitation and release of all the jailed farmer leaders.

Ms Patil completed the formality by just reading out a part of the speech.

When the session resumed after recess, the opposition Congress members raised a point of order, pointing out the Parliamentary Affairs minister or the Chief whip of the House should have moved a motion seeking permission of the house for considering the speech of the Governor as read.

Speaker Sumitra Singh's clarified the speech could not be read out fully as the Governor was not well could not satisfy the Opposition members. She ruled there was no breach of privilege of the house.

Amid the procedural wrangling, some of the ruling party members demanded action against the opposition members for disrupting the Governors's address, citing it as 'unprecedented and against the tradition of the house'.

BJP Chief whip Mahaveer Prasad Jain moved a suspension motion amid slogan shouting and pandemonium by the opposition members.

They rushed to the well of the house and the house was adjourned for 15 minutes at 1230 hrs.

When the house reassembled at 1245 hrs the speaker Sumitra Singh adjourned the house again for 30 minutes for breaking the imbroglio with oppositoon leaders. When the talks failed the Opposition continued to disrupt the house and the Speaker rushed through the listed business of obituary references.

UNI