Mumbai: A massive uproar erupted in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly after a controversial remark about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot. Protesting against the statement, Congress MLAs stormed the Speaker’s dais, leading to multiple adjournments of the House.
In response, Speaker Vasudev Devnani suspended six Congress MLAs, including state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara, for the remaining period of the Budget session. Others suspended include Deputy Leader of Opposition Ramkesh Meena, Amin Kagzi, Zakir Hussain Gasavat, Hakeem Ali Khan, and Sanjay Kumar. The suspension was proposed by Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg and passed through a voice vote when the session resumed at 4 PM.
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Six Congress MLAs were disqualified from the Rajasthan assembly
To protest against this disqualification, all other Congress MLAs are sitting in the assembly premises
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The ruckus began during the Question Hour when Minister Avinash Gehlot took a dig at the Congress by referring to Indira Gandhi in a remark, saying, “In the last budget 2023-24, you (Congress) named the scheme after your Dadi (grandmother) Indira Gandhi as always.”
This enraged the opposition, with Leader of Opposition Tikaram Julie objecting strongly, saying, “What is this nonsense? Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of the country, such language cannot be used for her.”
The situation escalated as Congress MLAs entered the well of the House, raised slogans, and began a dharna inside the Assembly. Despite Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel attempting to clarify that ‘Dadi’ was used in a respectful manner, the protests continued, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings three times before taking disciplinary action.