Ruling party MLAs Champion, Shukla & Karnwal embarrass the govt
Sunday, 12 December 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
The issue of breach of privilege of the MLAs rocked the third and last day of the winter session of Uttarakhand assembly on Saturday as members cutting across party lines raised their concern on government’s inaction on these cases. The demand was raised so forcibly by the members that the chair directed the government to submit the investigation report on all the breach of privilege motions within ten days.
As soon as the proceedings of the day started the Manglaur MLA Qazi Nizamuddin brought a breach of privilege notice against the Labour minister Harak Singh Rawat for misleading the house. He said that in response to his question the minister replied that seven lakh jobs were provided by the government in the last four and half years. Nizamuddin said that in December 2020 the Parliamentary Affairs minister had said that 10 lakh employment were provided while in March this year again the government had said that seven lakh employment were provided. He said that the government should seek apology as either of the different figures provided by it to the house is wrong. Nizamuddin was supported by the leader of the opposition Pritam Singh. In his response the Parliamentary Affairs minister Banshidhar Bhagat said that both the data provided by the government were correct. The deputy speaker Raghunath Singh Chauhan who was presiding over the proceedings accepted the notice for verification.
This however prompted the BJP legislatures Pranav Singh Champion and Rajesh Shukla to ask for the fate of their breach of privileges motions which were sent by the house to the government for investigation. Sukla said that no action has yet been taken on his notice from last one year. He said that he was insulted by one officer in a meeting. Champion too said that no action on his notice has occurred. In an unprecedented move Champion moved to the well of the house to register his protest. BJP MLA Deshraj Karnwal too joined his two seniors in the protest on the issue and said that no action has been taken by his breach of privilege notice. The LoP Pritam Singh said that the government had taken no notice of the directive of chair on privilege notices and for the first time members of the treasury bench had come to the well of the house. Raising a point of order, Shukla inquired about the status of the privilege committee of the house. Amid pandemonium the house was adjourned twice by the deputy speaker. Outside the house Nizamuddin termed the day as black Saturday in the history of parliamentary democracy of Uttarakhand when a ruling party member came to the well of the house. Later the chair directed the government to take action on its directive on privilege notice. It however failed to satisfy the members and later the speaker set a time period of ten days to submit its report within ten days on all such notices forwarded to it. The speaker also ruled that the cases in which the report would be found not correct would be forwarded to the privilege committee of the house.
Special session held on Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
A discussion to commemorate the 75 years of independence of the country was held on the last day of the winter session of the Uttarakhand assembly on Saturday. The government of India is celebrating it as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The speaker Prem Chand Agarwal said that this year, which is 75 year of independence, is like nectar for the new generation and would encourage them to do something for their country. He said that this is the best way to pay homage to the freedom fighters and martyrs.
