Five RJD legislators were evicted from Bihar legislative council for unruly behaviour during protests over the multi-crore Srijan scam which rocked both houses of the state legislature again today.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was present in the legislative council when RJD members indulged in unruly behaviour, lambasted the opposition for "sullying the reputation of the legislative house".
Legislative council Deputy Chairperson Harun Rashid who ordered the house marshals to evict RJD MLCs Subodh Kumar, Ranvijay Singh, Kamre Alam, Radhacharan Seth and Dilip Rai referred the matter to the disciplinary committee for further action against them.
When the legislative council resumed sitting after recess, the RJD MLCs carrying posters and banners trooped into the Well of the House and started raising anti-government slogans. As the MLCs refused to listen to the Chair, house marshals were instructed to evict them.
The chief minister and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi were present in the House at the time.
JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar demanded action against the RJD members and demanded that the case be hand over to the conduct committee. He was supported by CPI member Kedar Pandey, BJP's Awdesh Kumar Singh and Rajnish Kumar.
Rashid then ordered the issue of the RJD MLCs to be handed over to the disciplinary committee.
"The disciplinary committee will look into the matter and if a case is made out against the erring members, action would be taken," he later told reporters.
The disciplinary committee is headed by JD(U) MLC P K Shahi who was also a former advocate general of Bihar.
Lambasting the RJD for disrupting the proceedings of the House for the last four days, Kumar said, "If you (the RJD) want to raise an issue do it in accordance with rules and the government will be ready to reply to it."
"By coming to the House with banners and posters, these members are sullying its reputation," he said.
He also attacked the opposition which was trying to corner the JD(U)-BJP government over the Srijan scam.
"Which scam are they talking about? As soon as I came to know about it on August 8, I mentioned this in my speech on Earth day on August 9 and a probe began immediately into Bhagalpur NGO scam case," he said.
Government funds to the tune of Rs 950 crore were allegedly diverted illegally to the account of Srijan NGO in Bhagalpur in the scam.
The matter came to light after a government cheque bounced. The district magistrate then inquired about it and intimated the headquarters in Patna.
In an apparent dig at RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his partymen who were demanding a CBI probe into the scam under supervision of the Supreme Court, the chief minister said, "If you do not have faith in the CBI, go to court and say this."
Referring to members speaking about documents related to the scam coming up in 2003, 2008 and 2013, he said, "Hand over all these documents to the CBI which will help them in the probe."
The issue was raised in the Assembly too where the opposition RJD, the Congress and the CPI-ML pressed for the resignations of Kumar and Modi and the ruling JD(U)-BJP claimed that the NGO started during the Rabri Devi regime.
The members of the opposition RJD, the Congress and the CPI-ML then staged a walkout from the Assembly.
Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary had to adjourn the Assembly twice in the first session due to the din created over the issue.
Showing documents, Modi, who was present in the assembly during the first session, alleged that the NGO was allowed office space in a government building at Bhagalpur in 2000 when Rabri Devi was the chief minister.
"Srijan was given 24 decimel space in Trysam building on a 30-year lease by the order of the then district magistrate of Bhagalpur in 2003 and a lease deed was signed to this effect on February 25, 2004. The lease was later extended for 50 years in the same year," he alleged quoting documents.
Modi also showed another document from 2000 and alleged that the then Bhagalpur district magistrate allowed the opening of an account by Srijan with a cooperative bank and permitted it to keep government money in its accounts down to the block level.
"The RJD government led by Rabri Devi was in power in the state between 2000 and 2004 when these favours were given to Srijan," the deputy chief minister alleged even as his party (BJP) MLAs shouted 'Chor machaye shor' at the RJD.
He urged the speaker to expunge "unparliamentary" words used by the opposition against him and the chief minister from the House proceedings to which speaker said it has already been ordered.
Leader of the Opposition Tejaswi Yadav compared Srijan scam with Madhya Pradesh's Vyapam scam where a number of people connected with it had died mysteriously.
He alleged that an accused in the Srijan NGO scam was killed "on behalf of the state government".
Later, speaking to reporters, Modi alleged that Rajni Priya, an alleged key players of the scam who was absconding with her husband, was the daughter of a Congress leader from Jharkhand and the niece of a former Union minister.
Asked about his accountability as he had served as the MP of Bhagalpur from 2000 to 2004 and was the deputy chief minister and finance minister during the previous NDA rule, Modi said, "Nobody had complained or informed me of the irregularities in the NGO."
The five-day Monsoon Session of the Assembly was later adjourned sine die by the speaker.
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