Asked to cut short speech, BJP walks out of Assembly
BJP members on Thursday trooped out of the Chhattisgarh Assembly after the Speaker cut short a party leader who exceeded the time allocated to his party while speaking on the crime situation and the PWD Department’s working.
The House discussed the budgetary demands of the Home and Jail, Public Works, Tourism and Religious Endowment Departments.
Speaker Dr Charan Das Mahant ruled at the very start that members should strictly adhere to the time given to them to speak supporting or opposing the budgetary demands.
He said the BJP has been given 30 minutes out of the total three hours allocated to the members.
BJP’s Shivratan Sharma commenced the discussion highlighting what he said were the failures of the Home Department in controlling crime across the state as well as on the shortcomings in the PWD Department.
When he kept speaking for 35 minutes, the Speaker asked him to wind up to allow others to take the floor. He said Sharma had exceeded the time given to him.
BJP members including Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik said there is a tradition in the House allowing members to speak for a longer period.
When the Speaker refused to relent, furious BJP members said they will not participate in the discussion and walked out.
