Opposition Congress continued its protest for the third consecutive day over suspension of its eight MLAs and the alleged lathicharge on protesting party workers last week here by holding a "dharna" outside the assembly today.
The members did not enter the House. 16 Congress MLAs, including senior leaders Pradhyuman Singh and Narayan Singh, sat on a dharna led by Leader of Opposition Rameswhar Dudi outside the Assembly for two hours.
Dudi rejected Home Minister's statement in the House yesterday that the protestors, including PCC President Sachin Pilot and other Congress leaders, had not been baton-charged by police when they attempted to 'gherao' the Assembly to protest against Centre's ordinance on Land Acquisition Act.
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"It was a pre-planned lathicharge on protesters and the BJP government was not acting against the police officials who used baton on party workers who were protesting peacefully," Dudi said.
"If police did not resort to lathicharge, how could Sachin and other Youth Congress leaders suffer injuries," he said.
"We are not worried whether the suspension of eight MLAs will be revoked, our agitation is against the power tariff hike, Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill at the Centre, and poor law and order situation in the state," the Leader of Opposition said.
Meanwhile inside the House, after Question Hour was over, Parliamentary Affairs Minister R S Rathore asked the Speaker whether the Opposition informed the House in writing before holding the sit-in.
Responding to it, Speaker Kailash Meghwal informed the House that neither any information was sent to the Secretary of Assembly nor to the Speaker's office by Congress MLAs and Opposition of Leader Dudi.
Confrontation between the ruling party and the Opposition used to occur in the past too, but this time Congress was "deliberately adamant" and not following the consensus arrived in his presence to resolve the deadlock, the Speaker said.
