3 Cong MLAs suspended from Gujarat Assembly

GANDHINAGAR, FEBRUARY 23: Three opposition Congress members were on Wednesday suspended from Gujarat Assembly for a week by Speaker Dhirub...

GANDHINAGAR, FEBRUARY 23: Three opposition Congress members were on Wednesday suspended from Gujarat Assembly for a week by Speaker Dhirubhai Shah for throwing khaki shorts and caps RSS uniform at the Governor S S Bhandari when he was addressing the House on the opening day of the budget session.

The proposal to suspend the members was brought forth by the Parliamentary Minister Suresh Mehta subsequent to which a decision was taken by the Speaker after putting the motion to vote to suspend Congress MLAs Udesinh Baria, Khumansinh Chauhan and Subhash Shelat for a week from the house. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Amarsinh Chaudhary sought time from the chair for the suspended members so as to allow them to explain their stand. However, the Speaker did not accept their plea. Chaudhary alongwith other Congress members then staged a walkout in protest against the decision. In the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, the Congress has 56 MLAs.

The Speaker also announced suspension of some other Congress MLAs, whose names were not announced by him, for a period ranging for one to two days for disrupting the Governor8217;s address. The Congress members, in protest against Gujarat government8217;s recent decision to allow its employees to take part in RSS activities, had disrupted the Governor8217;s address on Monday by shouting slogans, displaying placards and throwing khaki shorts and black caps at him.

When the House assembled after recess, Independent MLA from Ahmedabad city, Usmangani Devdivala requested the Speaker to name those Congress MLAs whom he had suspended without naming. The Speaker suggested if Devdivala had any grievances he could bring in an amendment to the motion brought in by the Parliamentary Minister for suspension of the Congress members, saying that in the circumstances of the House having decided the issue through voting, he could do little to help him. Devdivala, after his submission was turned down by the chair, also walked out.

Earlier before staging a walkout, Amarsinh Chaudhary and one of the suspended Congress MLAs Subhash Shelat said that by demonstrating in the House against the State Government decision to allow its employees to take part in RSS activities, the Congress members did not mean to show any disrespect to the office of the Governor.

However, Mehta responding to their arguments, said that as the Governor8217;s was constitutional office, the behaviour of the Congress members on Monday amounted to indicipline and cannot be justified and therefore he would like to stick to his motion for suspension of the MLAs who disrupted the Governor8217;s address.