Uttarakhand Assembly adjourned, Congress stages walk out

Dehra Dun, Mar 16 (UNI) Uttarakhand Assembly was today adjourned for one hour five minutes following chaos created by opposition parties.

As soon as speaker Harbans Kapoor entered the House, Leader of Opposition Harak Singh Rawat stood up from his chair demanding discussion on the issue of Khanduri Government's decision to stop appointments process in various public and private sectors.

Meanwhile, Congress member Dinesh Agarwal demanded discussion on the government's decision to hold disbursement of cheques sanctioned under Chief Minister Discretionary Fund, during the tenure of previous Congress Government. Other congress members too joined them. Stating the stay would adversely effect the beneficiaries and calling it an unconsiderate step, Congress members started shouting slogans against the government.

Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party members demanding discussion on the issue of including Bengalis residing in the state under Scheduled Castes catagory entered the Well. Speaker Harbans kaoopr kept pleading them to take their seats. However, they continued with their demands and sloganeering. Just after the five minutes of Question hour Speaker Harbans Kappoor adjourned the House for full one hour five minutes from 1115 hrs to 1220 hrs.

The House reassembled again at 1220 and proceedings went on.

However, chaos again started when members of both oppostion and rulings entered into an argument over the same issues. Congress member Kishor Upadhyay demanded reservation be provided to the youths in all the industries set up in the state. Situation went from bad to worst when Mr Upadhayay told Parliamentary Affair Minister Prakash Pant ''I would not listen to you at all''.

BJP members Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Munna Sngh Chauhan joined hands with Mr Pant. Meanwhile, BSP member Kazi Nizzamuddin jumped into the brawl in support of Mr Upadhyay.

The Speaker had to stand up from his Chair thrice to quell the din. Later Congress members staged walk out at 1255 hrs.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pant, in reply to the context of issue raised by Congress counterparts, stated no appointments were stopped by the government. ''It was only deferred so that after the review, the appointments are made with transparency. Lambasting the previous Congress Government, he said it had promised in its manifesto to provide employments to two lakh people every year.

However only 56,059 were provided employment in five years according to the available statistics. 23,810 persons were given employment in industrial sectors and that too included 14,172 direct appointments and 9638 on contract basis.

Mr Pant said Congress members staged walkout as they had no arguments to this.

Later, outside the House, Chief Minister BC Khanduri in response to a question raised on stoppage of appointments and CMDF told reporters creating chaos by opposition was a normal process.

He maintained that no appointment process and disbursement of CMDF has been stopped. ''They have only been deffered so as to first mend the process right'', he asserted, adding no one would be made to suffer.

Mr Khanduri said he has asked the concerned authority to provide him with the information and facts on the matter so that right process is carried out. ''There is no political vendetta behind it'', he assured.

UNI