'Targeting opposition': Congress MLAs protest installation of extra cameras in Rajasthan Assembly

Jaipur, Sep 9 (PTI) Congress MLAs on Tuesday protested the installation of additional cameras in the Rajasthan Assembly, claiming they were put up to target the opposition benches, a charge the government has denied.

The House had to be adjourned twice during the Question Hour due to the sloganeering by Congress leaders.

Later in the day, a bill that proposes imprisonment of 20 years to life for mass conversions through deception and a jail term of seven to 14 years for conversions by fraudulent means was passed by voice vote amid the ruckus.

When the House resumed after the lunch break, Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully said installing cameras above opposition benches goes against tradition.

"The assembly already has cameras, but installing them here specifically to target the Opposition and using them for personal purposes is wrong," he said.

Senior Congress legislator Rajendra Pareek said having separate cameras inside the House "infringes upon the privacy" of all MLAs. He said it was not just against norms but was "highly objectionable".

Defending the move, Government Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg said, "The hall of the assembly is not anyone's chamber, nor is it a bedroom or bathroom. Where does privacy come into the picture? Whatever happens here is public, everyone can see it." Following this, Congress MLAs trooped into the Well of the House and raised slogans. The proceedings continued amid the uproar.

Earlier, during the Question Hour, Jully was not allowed to ask a supplementary question related to Khanpur constituency, prompting Congress MLAs to rush to the Well and raise slogans.

Speaker Vasudev Devnani adjourned the House for about 20 minutes till noon. When the House reassembled, Congress members again resorted to sloganeering, forcing another adjournment till 2 pm.

Before the assembly proceedings, Congress MLAs also protested in the assembly premises over the delay in Panchayati Raj and municipal elections.

Led by Jully, they marched on foot from the MLA quarters to the assembly gate, raising slogans. "The government does not want to conduct municipal and panchayat elections because it fears losing," he alleged. PTI AG RUK SKY SKY