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Congress boycotts Jaipur function to mark end of session

JAIPUR: The customary bonhomie so typical of parting ways was missing at a function held to mark the last day of the 12th Rajasthan Assembly special session on Thursday with the Congress members boycotting the event.

The boycott came as a surprise to even some of the Congress members who were later at a loss to explain the real reason behind it.

The occasion was also to announce the winner of the “MLA of the Year” award for 2007 and 2008. As the Speaker, Sumitra Singh, started the function at the fag end of the day’s business around 3-30 p.m., Congress member C.P. Joshi stood up to announce the boycott.

“In Rajasthan, in the name of democracy it has been monarchy in power for the past four years,” he said as he led his fellow MLAs out.

Congress Party Deputy Leader Ramnarain Meena had to use some persuasion to get former Chief Minister Jagannath Pahadia, who remained seated in bewilderment, out. Senior Congress leader B.D. Kalla said the Rajasthan Assembly had no convention of holding a farewell programme on the last day.

“I am sorry about the development,” said Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who addressed the House briefly, at the outset. “Today is the last day in the Assembly. Hereafter we have to go to the people and face the ultimate test,” she said.

“There had been occasions of friction but altogether we had a good get-together,” she said sounding emotional.

“We had a constructive Opposition here,” she added.

Ms. Raje also came up with the idea of an upper house for Rajasthan, a concept which was discussed during the previous regime as well. “Rajasthan should have a Vidhan Parishad as other States like Karnataka, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have,” she said.

Ms. Raje did not miss her customary Urdu couplet in the farewell speech. This time it spoke about “musafir”(travellers) going their ways only to meet again.

Speaker Sumitra Singh, while expressing her displeasure over the Opposition boycott, said she received the cooperation from all groups but perhaps could not have made everyone happy. “I tried my best but could not make all of them happy all the time,” confessed Ms. Singh, who was termed by Ms. Raje as “ideal Speaker”.

The Best MLA award for 2008 was announced for Shanti Lal Chaplot, former Speaker and MLA from Mavli in Udaipur.

The award for 2007 went to the Congress member Bharat Singh, MLA from Digod in Kota district. Perhaps going by the overall mood of non-cooperation with the ruling party, Mr. Singh declined the award.

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