Congress MLA from Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur constituency Imran Khedawala – the only Muslim legislator in Gujarat Assembly – on Monday sought protection from the Speaker against alleged “insulting” references made towards him by members of the ruling BJP while referring to him as a person “from a specific community”.
Following this, Speaker Shankar Chaudhary advised all the members of the House to refrain from making personal references.
The issue cropped up during the Question Hour when a starred question raised by Khedawala was taken up for discussion. The legislator had sought to know the details related to the proposed overbridge between Vishala Circle and Sarkhej Crossroads in Ahmedabad city. The road passes through minority dominated Juhapura and Sarkhej areas of the city.
The government replied that the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has approved the overbridge at the cost of Rs 1,295.39 crore and its work is expected to be over by 2027 after getting necessary approvals.
In his supplementary question, Khedawala sought to know when work on the bridge will be commenced and completed.
In reply, Minister of State Jagdish Vishwakarma said that initiating the work and its completion depends on a number of factors, including the number of encroachments on the road.
Vishwakarma then said, “I want to say that if the work on the road is to be completed expeditiously, then I will have to take help of Imranbhai. On that single road, there are more than 700 non-veg lorries, shops, kiosks; more than 1,200 rickshaws lie on that road, around 11 garages of a particular community are there and all of them are illegal. Around six religious encroachments of a particular community are there.”
Story continues below this ad
He further said, “I need Imranbhai’s help because all these encroachments are on approximately 6,000 square meter area…When only a particular community does encroachments in the entire state, then, honourable Imranbhai, it is your duty that your community does not do wrongful encroachment. As an MLA of the community, it becomes (a matter of) your concern.”
Khedawala immediately registered his protest and said, “(They) always talk about a community.” He also raised a Point of Order.
However, Speaker Chaudhary told him to do so after the Question Hour.
Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar joined the discussion and said that if the government is saying that so many encroachments are present on that road, it is the responsibility of the ruling dispensation to remove them.
Story continues below this ad
Vishwakarma, in reply, alleged that Khedawala’s “unauthorised” office in Jamalpur was recently razed.
He said, “Whenever the state government demolishes encroachments, members of the Opposition conspire to defame the government with political malaise. And whenever the state government removes encroachments, all the members of the Congress conspire to defame the government with an intention to be visible on social media and TV (channels)…Therefore, I am saying that when the government does the encroachment removal, please support it and do not prevent it.”
Refusing the allegations of unauthorised office, Khedawala offered to show legal documents. After the Question Hour, he raised the Point of Order in the House.
Addressing the Speaker, he said, “The manner in which insulting talks are being done while referring to (me) as a person from a community; Amitbhai (Amit P Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Ellisbridge constituency) had talked in an insulting manner the other day… Here, I am a Muslim MLA among the 182 MLAs. So, I seek your protection. I raise issues of the society and of Gujarat within the limits of the Constitution. So, the kind of sentences being used in the Assembly, it should not be done now onwards. I feel sad about this.”
Story continues below this ad
On March 19, while speaking on budgetary demands of the Home department, Shah, while referring to Khedawala, said in the House that, “People from your minority community were the killers of Haren Pandya (former BJP minister killed in 2003)”. Shah had made the comments while cross-talking with Khedawala during his speech over the issue of law and order.
On his part, among other things, Vishwakarma said that his point was that people should cooperate when illegal encroachments are being demolished.
Speaker Chaudhary then requested all the ministers and MLAs to be respectful of each other and added that it is a duty of all the members. “As a Speaker of this Assembly, it is my responsibility to give protection to every member. Every member does get protection (in the Assembly) and will continue to do so … I tell honourable minister as well not to make personal references using somebody’s name,” he added.
5 min read
