From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Noisy protests by Opposition MLAs from Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) against the spiraling fuel prices rocked Assam Assembly on Monday, the first day of autumn session forcing the Speaker to rush through the business of the House amid the din.
The Opposition parties demanded an adjournment motion to discuss the steeping prices of petrol and diesel.
Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami had to adjourn the House once amid sloganeering and displaying of placards by the Opposition Congress and AIUDF MLAs in the Well of the House.
The adjournment motion was moved by Opposition Congress and the AIUDF immediately after the Question Hour. The Speaker allowed both parties to speak on the admissibility of the motion. Ajanta Neog and Debabrata Saikia made their points for Congress while Hafiz Bashir Ahmed spoke on behalf of AIUDF.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, in his response, said the points that were likely to be made by the two parties in a debate through an adjournment motion, if allowed, had already been made during the discussion on the motion’s admissibility.
He further pointed that the issue on fuel price rise can be broached and discussed under other provisions of the Assembly.
As Speaker Goswami reserved his ruling in the matter for Tuesday prompting Congress and AIUDF legislators took to their feet and stormed the Well of the House. The Congress MLAs displayed placards against the government while raising slogans protesting the fuel price hike and were joined by the AIUDF legislators.
A section of ruling BJP MLAs also charged into the Well and engaged in verbal duel with the Opposition legislators, and as the impasse continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for a few minutes.
When the House reassembled, the Opposition legislators were back on their feet and with the Speaker refusing to budge to their demand for his ruling today itself, they once again resorted to sloganeering and displaying placards in the Well of the House.
Amid sloganeering, Speaker Goswami proceeded with the agenda for the day, including taking up Zero Hour notices and allowing the government to lay various bills and reports in the Floor of the House.
Amidst the mayhem, Goswami concluded the entire day’s proceedings within 10 minutes without discussing any topic and reserving ministers’ replies for later and adjourned the House for the day much to the chagrin of opposition MLAs who decried the Speaker’s action of not allowing discussion on the topics.