Three Congress MLAs, including a former Speaker, were today suspended from the Haryana Assembly for six months for "tearing" copies of the Governor's Address.
The opposition legislators tore the copies while staging a protest near the Well of the House after party MLAs were suspended for interrupting Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki during his address to the House on the opening day of the budget session of the assembly yesterday.
The Congress legislators have been accused of breaking the House decorum and laid down traditions by showing disrespect to Governor, the constitutional head of the State.
In the absence of suspended Congress MLAs that included the three legislators who were not present today, the House passed a motion (rpt) motion suspending former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma, Jaiveer Singh and Jagbir Singh Malik for six months.
Besides, the three legislators have also been barred from taking up membership of any Vidhan Sabha Committee for a period of one year, Speaker Kanwar Pal told the House after a motion (rpt) motion in this regard was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma.
However, senior Congress leader Karan Singh Dalal later told reporters, "there is no provision of suspending a member for six months by bringing a ... . Under Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Haryana Legislative Assembly, there is no such provision. This has happened for the first time in Haryana's 50 year old history. At the most, a member could have been suspended for remainder of the session".
Barring Randeep Singh Surjewala who was not present, all the other Congress members had been suspended from Haryana Assembly yesterday for interrupting the Governor's address and staging a walkout when he was speaking.
Apart from the three Congress legislators, the House had yesterday passed a resolution 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.
During the Zero Hour today, Health Minister Anil Vij demanded that all those members who had torn the copies of the Governor's address be handed down strict punishment so that it acts as a deterrent in future for others.
"What they did amounts to contempt of the House and they deserve strict punishment for their action," Vij said.
Independent MLA Jai Prakash and senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who is Leader of Opposition, requested the Speaker not to suspend the three opposition legislators for a long period.
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Chautala said the State wants to know what type of role the Congress played during the recent unrest in Haryana and the three members should not be suspended for long period.
However, their plea failed to cut any ice.
Ram Bilas Sharma made a stinging attack on the Congress in their absence and questioned where were these leaders when Haryana was burning during the recent agitation and why they were not seen among the people at that time.
He also accused the Congress leaders of playing a negative role during the agitation, which disturbed harmony and brotherhood.
As the House was taking up the motion (rpt) motion to suspend three Congress legislators in their absence, Abhay Chautala also urged the Speaker that resolution condemning the behaviour of the INLD members yesterday for "interrupting" Governor during his Address be taken back.
Chautala told the Speaker that his party wanted that Governor should not give his nod to the The Punjab Satluj Yamuna Link Canal Land (Transfer of Proprietary Rights) Bill, 2016 to de-notify the land acquired for construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal, which was passed in the Punjab Assembly yesterday.
Chautala today said that he had only sought an assurance from the Governor that he will not give his nod to the Bill and their was no intent of showing any disrespect or interrupting the Address.
"We had raised (SYL) a vital issue of Haryana's importance. Moreover, the Governor also told us in the House that whatever step he will take on the Punjab Bill will be as per the Constitution. Now, by having a resolution passed in the House condemning behaviour of our members is not appropriate since there was no intention to interrupt the Governor's Address," Chautala said.
As Abhay kept pleading with the Speaker to take back the resolution against INLD members, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told the opposition leader that not only had they interrupted the Governor's speech, thus breaking the decorum and laid down tradition, but they were also wearing black arm bands, which was a sign of protest.
"If you had to protest on anything, you could have done so after the Governor's Address got over," Khattar told them and asked Chautala if he was ready to apologise before the House, then the matter could be ended.
However, Chautala stuck to his ground, saying "we were only making a prayer before the Governor and if speaking in the State's interest means disrespect, then we will repeat it several times".
Later, the INLD members staged a brief walkout in protest.
