Cong members suspended from Har Assembly for interrupting

Congress members were today suspended from Haryana Assembly on the first day of the budget session for creating a ruckus shortly before the Governor's address and staging a walkout when he was speaking.
As the Governor reached the Assembly to deliver his address to the House, the Congress MLAs interrupted him, submitting that Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, who also holds the additional charge of Punjab, should not go ahead with the speech since during his address to the Punjab Assembly he spoke of upholding the state's interests as far as water-sharing and the SYL canal were concerned.
The Congress MLAs including former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Congress legislature party leader Kiran Choudhry and former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma, walked out in protest when the Governor was to deliver the address.

Later, the opposition members also tore a copy of the Governor's address in protest.
A resolution was passed by the House and the Speaker ruled that the Congress members shall remain suspended for five sittings till the time a discussion on the Governor's address gets over.
The House also condemned the behaviour of some INLD members who interrupted the Governor during his speech.

However, when the House re-assembled after the Governor had left after his address, the Congress members barring former chief minister Hooda returned to the Assembly.
Main opposition INLD's senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who is also the Leader of Opposition, urged the Governor that the party wanted that he should not give his nod to the The Punjab Satluj Yamuna Link Canal Land (Transfer of Propreitary Rights) Bill, 2016 to de-notify the land acquired for construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, which was passed in the Punjab state Assembly today.

Chautala sought an assurance from the Governor that he does not give his nod to the Bill.
However, the Governor told the INLD members that whatever he does will be as per the Constitution.
Solanki also told the opposition members that "the address read by the Governor is the action plan of the government duly elected by the people through constitutional process.
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Barring Congress' Randeep Singh Surjewala, who was not present today, those suspended include former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Anand Singh Dangi, Geeta Bhukkal, Jagbir Singh Malik, Jaitirath, Jaiveer Singh, Karan Singh Dalal, Kiran Choudhary, former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma, R Nagar, Raghubir Singh Kadian, Shakuntala Khatak, Shri Krishan Hooda and Udai Bhan.

There was a verbal duel between Congress and ruling BJP benches, with both sides raising slogans against each other.
Senior Congress MLA Karan Singh Dalal said "today was a black day in Haryana Assembly's history".
CLP leader Kiran Choudhry said that to protect Haryana's interests, they were ready to even go to jail.
After the resolution to suspend them was passed, the treasury benches led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar thumped the benches.
However, the Congress MLAs, including Kuldeep Sharma, rushed to the Well of the House and tore the copies of the Governor's address while raising slogans against the BJP government.

Health Minister Anil Vij cited Rule 17 of the business rules of the House, as per which the Governor's address cannot be interrupted by any member before or during the time he is making the address.
Vij requested the Speaker that before the House moves the obituary resolution, listed in today's business, "keeping in view the seriousness of the matter, whatever the opposition members did, amounts to contempt of the House and they should be punished so that in future a deterrent will be there".
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas moved the resolution to suspend the Congress members and condemned the behaviour of some INLD members.

He rued that Congress members had boycotted the all-party meeting called by the chief minister on SYL and other issues but were behaving in this manner in the House today.
Later, Vij again intervened in the matter, saying "the punishment given to them (Cong MLAs) is very less. At least they should be given one-day jail and fined Re 1 each".
"They deviated from the tradition and what they did was inappropriate. When the address had not been read by the Governor, what they were trying to say, all these things had been brought to the notice of the Governor (regarding Punjab's move to bring Bill).

"We called an all-party meeting (which was boycotted by Haryana Congress) and we arrived at a consensus that we should express our apprehension that Punjab was going to bring a Bill and we apprised the Governor in this regard," Khattar told the House.
Khattar, who is Leader of the House, said when the all-party delegation, which called on the Governor here two days back and comprised parties including INLD and HJC (barring Cong), they urged him that when the Bill comes, he should take an appropriate call in this regard.
The CM said the Governor had assured the all-party delegation that whatever steps he will take will be as per the Constitution.

Referring to the INLD MLAs, who were wearing black bands in the House to protest the alleged failure of the BJP government to control the situation in the wake of Jat agitation, he said "I am surprised when we had talked to the Governor, the members are even coming here wearing black bands, which should not have been done."
"We are supposed to have a discussion on the Governor's address and even amendments can be made in the address later. Whatever the opposition members did including Congress and INLD, they should not have done. Such actions can cause great harm to our system," Khattar said.

Haryana Janhit Congress President Kuldeep Bishnoi, said Rule 17 had been cited and sought that under the same parity the INLD MLAs too should have been suspended.
He also took objection to other issue, saying "I have been a two-time MP and three-time MLA and for the first time I have seen that the session proceedings which were supposed to start at 2 p.M. Started late by a few minutes.
Bishnoi urged the Chair to call back the suspended members who assembled outside the Assembly and held a protest. They also vowed to sit outside the Assembly during the period of their suspension from the House.