Haryana Assembly sees repeated adjournments amid Cong's demand for discussion on law and order

Chandigarh, Aug 22 (PTI) The Haryana Assembly saw six adjournments on the first day of the monsoon session as opposition Congress demanded an adjournment motion on law and order in the state, leading to stormy scenes in the House.

Asserting their demand, Congress MLAs raised slogans, which were countered by the ruling BJP members with "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram." The pandemonium led to repeated adjournments of varying periods during the day, with House business getting affected for nearly three hours.

Later in the day, Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan accepted the Opposition's motion. The matter will now be discussed on Tuesday.

Earlier, the Assembly paid tributes to former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik, who passed away recently, the victims of the June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash and April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and others.

Soon after that, Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal got up and said that her party had given an adjournment motion and demanded that work be suspended to discuss the "deteriorating" law and order in the state. Other Congress MLAs soon joined Bhukkal.

But the Speaker told them their adjournment motion was under consideration and they should allow the Question Hour to be taken up first.

However, Congress members did not relent on their demand. They flashed banners which read "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Kya Huva Kya Huva" and raised slogans.

Many young Congress legislators, including Jassi Petwar, Balram Dangi and Vikas Saharan, also participated in the protest.

Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, though present in the House, did not join them.

Speaker Harvinder Kalyan told the Opposition members that let the Question Hour be taken up first, as several members have questions listed for which the government will reply in the House.

But, Congress MLAs insisted on their demand.

As the uproar continued, many of them rushed to the Well of the House.

Even when Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini told the Congress members that the matter could be raised during the Question Hour, the pandemonium continued.

Eventually, the Speaker adjourned the House for 30 minutes. As the proceedings resumed, Congress MLAs repeated their demand, again raising the banners.

CM Nayab Singh Saini told the Congress members, "We are ready to discuss the law and order issue." Referring to the murder of 19-year-old teacher Manisha in Bhiwani, the CM, without taking her name, said, "She is our daughter." Manisha was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Sayani village last week. The state government has decided to hand over the probe to the CBI as per her family's demands.

Saini then targeted the previous Congress regime and said, "During their time, not even FIRs used to be registered." As the ruckus continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for the second time for 20 minutes.

When the House resumed after the second adjournment, the Speaker expressed his displeasure with the Congress members.

"This is not a 'gali mohalla sabha (neighbourhood assembly)'," Kalyan said sternly, while adding that the Congress members did not even allow Question Hour to run.

"Whatever issue has to be placed in this House will be done according to rules and norms," the Speaker firmly told Congress MLAs.

Hooda, however, said his party members pointed out that they have given an adjournment motion, which should be taken up.

The Speaker said that he would decide on the adjournment motion, telling Congress members that they should let the House run to take the Question Hour first.

Saini then again got up to intervene, but din prevailed in the House. Some Congress members again rushed to the Well of the House.

The House was again adjourned for 30 minutes. The Speaker then held a meeting in his chamber, calling the members of both the ruling and the Opposition.

As this meeting went on, in between, Deputy Speaker Krishan Lal Middha extended brief adjournments three more times, with the House witnessing six adjournments in total during which work remained suspended for nearly three hours.

As the House resumed after being adjourned for the sixth time, Speaker Kalyan told the House that the adjournment motion on the law and order issue had been accepted and would be taken up for discussion in the House on Tuesday. PTI SUN AMJ AMJ