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Rajasthan turmoil over Ordinance

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Assembly witnessed turmoil on the opening day of its special session convened to enact legislation on special reservation quota for Gujjars and economically backward classes (EBCs) on Monday. The trouble broke out when Congress members protested against the Government not informing the House the details of Bills returned by the Governor without his approval.

The Speaker, Sumitra Singh, adjourned the House once for 30 minutes before she adjourned it for the day around 12-40 p.m. after 100 minutes of slogan-shouting and squatting on the floor by Opposition members demanding an apology from the Government for its “omission”. The Government had to adopt a defensive posture after the Speaker herself pointed out its “mistake” in bringing an Ordinance in the House.

“The Ordinance should not have been introduced after the Governor making his remarks on the Bill,” Ms. Singh noted. The trouble had erupted over Education Minister Kalicharan Saraf tabling an ordinance purportedly for absorption of the temporary teachers of Rajasthan University after Governor Shilendra Kumar Singh returned the Bill on the subject to the Government seeking certain changes.

Congress member Harimohan Sharma, who raised the issue first, pointed out that the members as well as the Speaker were not being informed of the fate of the Bills passed by the House in the previous session. His colleague C.P. Joshi, who raised a point of order, alleged that the Government was setting a wrong precedent by not furnishing the details of the developments which had taken place after the passage of Bills by the previous House.

The Leader of the Opposition, Hemaram Choudhary, and Congress member Pradhyumna Singh demanded an apology from the Government.

The latter pointed out that the Speaker too had “reprimanded” the Government over the matter.

The Ministers, Rajendra Rathore and Ghanshyam Tiwari, quoting rules tried to defend the Government action. Mr. Tiwari said the Government had the right to introduce the Ordinance.

The Assembly mourned the death of former Army Chief Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and eminent Gandhian Nirmala Despande along with three former members of the Rajasthan Assembly.

The victims of the May 13 bomb blasts also received a mention in the condolences but there was no reference to the 38 Gujjars who fell victims to police firing during the Gujjar agitation for Scheduled Tribe status in May-June. This led to angry protests from expelled BJP member Prahlad Gunjal and rebel party MLA Attar Singh Bhadana.

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