Bihar House adjourned again as opposition seeks action against Union ministers

PATNA: The Bihar Assembly was adjourned till lunch break today as MLAs from the RJD and the Congress demanded action against Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Ashwini Choubey in connection with incidents of communal tension in the state.

Proceedings of the House began with the swearing-in of newly-elected RJD MLA from Jehanabad Kumar Krishna Mohan.

Soon after, an adjournment motion was brought by Congress MLA Ajit Sharma on the issue of alleged involvement of Choubey’s son Arijit Shashwat in the events leading to communal clashes in Bhagalpur on Saturday in which three people, including two policemen were injured.

Shashwat has been named in one of the two FIRs for having taken out a procession without prior permission of the administration.

The House was adjourned yesterday as well after opposition legislators created a ruckus demanding compensation for farmers due to the failure of maize crop and action against the two Union ministers over incidents of communal tension.

As Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary decided to proceed with the Question Hour, MLAs belonging to the Congress and its ally ‘- the main opposition RJD -‘ rose from their seats shouting slogans and many of them rushed into the Well of the House.

They demanded immediate arrest of Shashwat as well as his father.

The opposition MLAs also raised slogans demanding Giriraj Singh’s arrest for his controversial remarks in wake of the arrest of two youths in Araria for allegedly raising anti-India slogans while celebrating the RJD’s victory in the bypolls.

They also sought action against Giriraj Singh and Bihar BJP chief Nityanand Rai in connection with their recent visit to Darbhanga after the killing of a BJP worker’s father.

Party activists accompanying the two leaders had allegedly raised slogans against the local police.

Repeated requests for calm by the speaker and the parliamentary affairs minister failed to pacify the opposition legislators.

Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav claimed, “Yesterday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had said that he was opposed to divisive politics, yet he has brought those indulging in such politics into power through the backdoor”.

Tejashwi’s remark was in reference to the exit of Kumar from the Grand Alliance last year and his subsequent rejoining of the BJP-led NDA.

The RJD leader pointed towards Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, seated in the treasury bench, and said, “He has categorically said the killing in Darbhanga was in no way related to the naming of a square after Prime Minister Narendra Modi which is also the administration’s stand.”

“Yet, Singh and Rai have been making statements to the contrary. We want to know who is speaking the truth,” he said.

As the bedlam continued, the speaker adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

Talking to reporters outside the Assembly, Tejashwi termed as ‘eyewash’ the FIR lodged against Shashwat and said, ‘The IPC sections invoked are clearly aimed at weakening a serious case.

” He was accompanied by legislators from his own party as well as the Congress, including CLP leader Sadanand Singh.

He also asked Nitish Kumar to ‘walk the talk and act against people like Choubey, Singh and Rai who are trying to create communal rift in the society”.

“We are sure his claim of being against divisive politics is as much of a sham as his anti-corruption posturing, which is evident from the number of scams that have rocked the state ever since he formed a new government with the BJP,” Tejaswi Yadav alleged.

Courtesy: PTI