Congress objects to Assembly session without Question Hour

He added that the session is at a time when various organisations and government servants are holding protests.

The Congress leaders said there were a number burning issues, including pension scheme and salaries of government employees, unemployment issues, drug seizures from Gujarat’s port and pending electricity connections for farmers, among others.

Deputy leader of Opposition Shailesh Parmar said, “Despite Gujarat facing so many issues, why is the Question Hour missing from the session? The Question Hour has not been kept because Congress party MLAs were planning to question the ruling party about various burning issues in the state. The BJP government is scared of questions and running away from it.”

The published “tentative” schedule of the 11th session of the current legislature states that only obituaries, Government Bills and government business will be taken up in the legislature on September 21, while Government Bills and business and last day motion will be taken up on the second and concluding day. BJP chief whip Pankaj Desai could not be contacted for comment.

Congress MLA Parmar also said that during the upcoming session of the state legislature, Congress will force BJP to withdraw The Gujarat Cattle Control (Keeping and Moving) in Urban Areas Bill 2022. The Congress leader said that during the budget session of the legislature held earlier this year, 28 BJP MLAs had spoken in favour of the Bill and it was passed despite opposition from the Congress.

Congress leader CJ Chavda pointed out that during 1980-’90, when the Congress was in power in Gujarat, the state assembly was in session for 51 days on an average annually. “The opposition BJP used to demand 60 days of session. Between 2002 and 2022 when BJP governments were in power, the state legislature met only for 30 days every year,” Chavda added.