Noisy scenes were witnessed in Uttarakhand Assembly today while a BJP sponsored no-confidence notice against Speaker and Deputy Speaker fell in the House as none of the signatories to it stood to speak in favour of it as they had walked out in protest against what they termed as "murder of democracy".
The no-confidence notice against the Speaker was taken up after BJP members staged a walk out after a prolonged and noisy face off with the treasury benches over the constitutionality of the Speaker's invitation to a presiding officer to chair theproceedings in his place with a non confidence motion pending against him.
Immediately after the boycott by opposition members, presiding officer Navprabhat took up the no-confidence notice against the Speaker and looked towards the empty opposition benches for someone to stand up and speak in favour of it.
"As there is no one to speak in favour of the notice it has fallen," he announced and invited the Speaker to assume his seat.
Speaker G S Kunjwal made a similar announcement for the Deputy Speaker after assuming the Chair.
"As there is no one to speak in favour of the notice, it has automatically fallen," Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal subsequently announced after resuming his chair when BJP MLAs had already made an exit and order was restored in the House.
The BJP members had moved the notice questioning the partisan conduct of the Speaker soon after crisis had erupted in the state Assembly on March 18 when BJP members along with nine rebel MLAs of the Congress had sought a division of votes on the appropriation bill.
Earlier, the two-day special session of Uttarakhand Assembly began on a stormy note with opposition BJP and treasury benches locked in a noisy stand-off over the Speaker's right to invite a member of the House to preside over the proceedings despite a no-confidence motion pending against him and his deputy.
The noisy face-offbetween the two sides was sparked as soon as the House assembled and Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal invited the senior most member of the panel of presiding officers Navprabhat to preside over the proceedings saying he could not occupy the Chair with an opposition sponsored no-confidence motion notice pending against him since March 18.
Contending that as per provisions of the Indian Constitution especially 180 (1) the occasion warranted appointment of a Protem Speaker by the Governor, BJP members led byLeader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt rushed into the well of the House asking Navprabhat to vacate the Chair.
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They also contended that the Speaker had violated legislative norms by asking Navprabhat to preside over the proceedings in his place without taking prior approval of the entire Assembly which meant the treasury as well as the opposition benches.
Opposition members rushed into the well of the House shouting slogans against "murder of democracy" by people occupying constitutional offices. They even threw paper missiles towards the chair and plucked one of the mics from the Speaker's desk.
All this plunged the House into a din which continued unabated for nearly one and a half hours prompting the presiding officer to adjourn the proceedings till 1 PM which was later extended by half an hour till 1.30 PM.
When the House reassembled opposition members resumed their chant about the presiding officer's removal from the Speaker's seat.
With the chair in no mood to relent, the opposition MLAs led by Bhatt walked out of the House saying they could not remain mute spectators to the murder of the Constitution by people holding constitutional offices.
Immediately after the boycott by opposition members, presiding officer Navprabhat took up the no-confidence notice against the Speaker and looked towards the empty opposition benches for someone to stand up and speak in favour of it.
"As there is no one to speak in favour of the notice it has fallen," he announced and invited the Speaker to assume his seat.
