Cong MLA stays put in Rajasthan Assembly after suspension, now debarred for six months

Jaipur, Aug 6 (PTI) Congress MLA Mukesh Bhakar was on Tuesday asked by the Rajasthan Assembly Speaker to keep away from House proceedings for the next six months after he refused to leave the House following his suspension from the current session.

Amid a ruckus on Monday, Congress MLAs prevented marshals from evicting Bhakar from the House after the Chair suspended him for the session, which ended on Tuesday, over "indecent behaviour". The opposition MLAs, including Bhakar, then sat on a dharna overnight in the Well of the House.

There was ruckus again when the House reassembled on Tuesday morning with Congress MLAs raising slogans in the Well of the House. Speaker Vasudev Devnani asked them to return to their seats but in vain.

Devnani said he would listen to the Congress members after Question Hour and asked the protesting MLAs to send Bhakar out of the House.

With Bhakar not leaving, the Speaker suspended him for six months on a proposal moved by Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg and adjourned the House sine die.

Earlier, amid the din, Garg said Bhakar had not left the House despite being suspended on Monday and opposition members were protecting him, which was unconstitutional.

He claimed when the Congress MLA was being forcibly taken outside on Monday, he bit two security staff members, including a woman.

The chaos in the House on Monday erupted when Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully raised the issue of appointment of government lawyers under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and demanded a reply from the government. PTI SDA DIV DIV