26 members suspended in Chhattisgarh Assy

Raipur, July 9 (UNI) Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Prem Prakash Pandey today announced suspension of 25 members of the opposition Congress and one Nationalist Congress Party member after they trooped into the well shouting slogans over the issue of the arrest of Satnami community seer Baldas and a lathicharge in Bilaspur district's Bodsara village fair.

A rule entails automatic suspension of members who troop into the well of this state's Vidhan Sabha.

Raising the matter through a call attention notice, Leader of the Opposition Mahendra Karma, Bhupesh Baghel and Mohammad Akbar accused the state regime of attempting to derive political mileage out of a centre of Satnami faith and added that Satnamis who were at the fair were jailed thereby vitiating the entire state's atmosphere.

''Bodasra is the centre of Satnami faith but nobody has the right to seize it. During the fair, Guru Baldas and his associates had a programme to hoist a flag over private property at the village's Bajpeyi Bada,'' said Home Minister Ramvichar Netam.

The High Court directed the government to protect the Bada and maintain status quo, he said while adding that action was taken after the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police's words went unheeded.

''The government has ayed acquisition of 2,500 sq ft in the Bada premises for building a tourist spot for which Rs 7.5 lakh were approved,'' the Minister explained.

Disagreeing with Mr Netam, the Congress members trooped into the well demanding Guru Baldas' release. Those suspended included members Karma, Baghel, Akbar, Bodhram Kanwar, Gulab Singh, Ravindra Choubey, Shakrajit Nayak, Yogeshwar Raj Singh, Ramchandra Singhdeo, Uday Mudaliar, Satyanarayan Sharma, Rampukar Singh, Haridas Bhardwaj, Motilal Devangan, Chaitram Sahu, Dhanendra Sahu, Shiv Dahria, Dharamjit Singh, Amarjit Bhagat, Onkar Shah, Chandrabhan Barmate, Churarwan Mangeshar, Nobel Verma and Ramdayal Uike.

UNI XC-AC 1800