Uttarakhand Assembly Monsoon session begins with Congress protest over 'rigged' panchayat polls

Gairsain, Aug 19 (PTI) The Monsoon session of the Uttarakhand Assembly began on a stormy note on Tuesday, with the entire Question Hour washed out amid uproar by Congress members over alleged rigging in the panchayat elections.

As soon as the House convened at 11 am, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Yashpal Arya, and Congress member Pritam Singh demanded adjournment of the Question Hour and an immediate discussion under Rule 310 on the alleged rigging and the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

Other opposition members also backed the Congress and raised slogans in front of Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan's chair, even as she urged them to return to their seats.

However, the opposition members remained defiant, leading to the Speaker adjourning the proceedings for 30 minutes. Even after the adjournment, the Opposition members, led by Arya, sat near the Speaker's chair and continued sloganeering.

When the House reconvened, the opposition members reiterated their demand and began sloganeering. Some Congress members even overturned the table of the assembly secretary, following which the Speaker adjourned the proceedings again. The House was subsequently adjourned twice more.

Before the session began, former Congress MLAs staged a sit-in outside the Assembly against the two issues. PTI DPT APL RHL