February 24th 2025.
The recent meeting of the Rajasthan Assembly on Monday was met with chaos and disorder as soon as the Question Hour began. The Speaker, Vasudev Devnani, had no choice but to intervene and direct six suspended Congress MLAs, including the state party president Govind Singh Dotasara, to leave the House. Despite the Speaker's orders, the suspended legislators refused to comply, causing disruptions that ultimately led to the adjournment of the proceedings until noon.
The session started off on a tense note as Congress MLAs stormed the well of the House, shouting slogans and causing a commotion. Despite the chaos, the Question Hour continued briefly, with the Speaker repeatedly urging the suspended members to exit the premises. However, the MLAs stood their ground, refusing to leave. As tensions escalated, the House was eventually adjourned.
Prior to the chaos, the Congress Legislature Party had gathered in the Assembly premises to discuss their course of action for the day. In an attempt to resolve the situation, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel and Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham met with Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully. The two ministers had also held late-night discussions with Congress MLAs in an effort to break the deadlock before meeting with the Speaker.
This protest marks the fourth consecutive day of turmoil in the Assembly, with Congress MLAs spending three nights inside the House. The controversy began on February 21st, when during the Question Hour, Congress members objected to Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot's remark about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In response to a question, Gehlot had mentioned that in 2023-24, a particular scheme was named after "your Dadi Indira Gandhi". The Congress MLAs interpreted this as being disrespectful and immediately rushed to the well in protest.
Despite attempts by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel to calm the situation by explaining that "grandmother" was a term of respect, the uproar only intensified. This prompted the Congress MLAs to approach the Speaker's podium, causing multiple adjournments of the proceedings. As the protests continued to escalate, Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg put forth a proposal to suspend the protesting Congress MLAs. Speaker Vasudev Devnani subsequently announced the suspension of Govind Singh Dotasara, Deputy Leader of Opposition Ramkesh Meena, Amin Kagzi, Zakir Hussain Gasavat, Hakeem Ali Khan, and Sanjay Kumar for the remainder of the budget session.
Despite the suspensions, the Congress legislators remained defiant and continued their protest inside the Assembly, prolonging the political standoff even further. It is clear that tensions are running high and both sides are determined to stand their ground. The chaos and disruption in the Assembly show no signs of abating, with no immediate resolution in sight.
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