Chhattisgarh Assembly Session: The first day of the monsoon session of the Chhattisgarh Assembly was tumultuous. When the proceedings of the House began on Monday, the Congress demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma over the violence in Balodabazar last month. The opposition claimed that law and order has collapsed in the state. The Speaker of the Assembly rejected the adjournment motion of the Congress on the Balodabazar violence.
The Congress MLAs were demanding a discussion on the adjournment motion. When the demand was rejected, the opposition members came in front of the chair shouting slogans, due to which they were suspended. The community protested on June 10 after the ‘Jaitakham’ or ‘Vijay Stambh’, a sacred symbol worshipped by the Satnamis, located near the holy Amar Cave at Girodpuri Dham in Balodabazar-Bhatapara district, was damaged on the intervening night of May 15 and 16.
The matter of Balodabazar violence raised in the House
This demonstration of the community took a violent turn and the mob set fire to the offices of the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police as well as 150 vehicles. Former Chief Minister and senior Congress MLA Bhupesh Baghel raised the issue during Zero Hour and said that the violence and arson happened due to poor law and order and weak intelligence system and the administration is not taking the case of damaging ‘Jaitakham’ seriously.
Baghel was also supported by other Congress MLAs on this issue, while BJP MLAs opposed it, claiming that a judicial inquiry is already underway in the matter and discussing it would violate the rules of the House. Assembly Speaker Raman Singh said that opposition members can raise their issues in the House without mentioning the points under judicial inquiry.
Congress demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister
Baghel said that policemen were seen running away to save their lives during the protest and property worth crores of rupees, important documents in the district office, superintendent of police and other offices were destroyed and this tarnished the image of peace-loving Chhattisgarh. The Congress MLA alleged that his party workers and innocent people were being arrested in the case. He demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister.
Responding to the allegations of the Congress MLA, Sharma said that it is wrong to say that the government failed to handle the situation in Balodabazar. He informed the House that 14 cases have been registered in various police stations and many people have been arrested.
Sharma said that the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police have been suspended. After Sharma’s reply, the Speaker of the Assembly rejected the adjournment motion. However, the Congress MLAs remained adamant on their demand for discussion on the adjournment motion.
The speaker of the assembly adjourned the proceedings of the house till 3 pm for lunch break. When the proceedings resumed, the Congress MLAs came in front of the chair and the proceedings of the house were automatically adjourned. The speaker of the assembly then announced the suspension of the opposition members and got the listed work disposed of.
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