Jaipur: Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani on Tuesday debarred Congress MLA Mukesh Bhakar from the assembly for six months following an overnight dharna in the Well of the House by his party legislators, who had prevented the marshals from evicting him after his first suspension a day earlier.
As the MLA refused to leave the House even when the proceedings resumed on Tuesday morning and continued shouting slogans, the speaker extended Bhakar's suspension to six months.
Devnani then adjourned the House sine die.
Bhakar's initial suspension over "indecent behaviour" in the House was only for the current session.
There was ruckus in the House again on Tuesday morning with the Congress MLAs raising slogans in the Well of the House. The speaker asked them to return to their seats but in vain.
Devnani said that he would listen to the Congress members after the Question Hour and asked the protesting MLAs to send Bhakar out of the House.
During the protest around 11.45 am, Congress MLA Ramila Khadiya felt uneasy and the speaker adjourned the House for half an hour. Khadiya was examined by the doctors in the assembly.
After the House reassembled and Bhakar did not leave, the speaker suspended him for six months on a proposal moved by Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg and adjourned the House sine die.
Earlier, amid the din, Garg said that Bhakar had not left the House despite being suspended on Monday and the opposition members were protecting him, which was unconstitutional.
He claimed that when the Congress MLA was being forcibly taken out of the House on Monday, he bit two security staff members, including a woman.
During the discussion on issues of Disaster Management and Relief department, BJP MLA Gopal Sharma suddenly started commenting on Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress leader was having a party in Gurugram when the terrorist attack happened in Mumbai.
He said all this has been published in news reports. To this, the Congress MLAs objected and trooped into the well.
Later, talking to reporters outside the House, Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully said that the BJP government had been creating black chapters since its formation and another chapter was added today.
He said, "Opposition is not being heard then why do they talk about the Constitution? They want to do one-sided action then do it."
Jully also commented on X, saying, "The BJP government in the state is continuously engaged in destroying the constitution and democratic systems."
He further said, "The suspension of Congress MLA from Ladnun, Shri Mukesh Bhakar, from the Assembly for six months seems to be completely unconstitutional and unnecessary. The BJP government should pay serious attention to public issues like water, electricity, law and order and women's safety."
He said the government, on the contrary, is not only taking action against the elected representatives out of vengeance, but is also completely insulting the constitutional principles.
Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra said, "After the Centre, the dictatorial attitude of the BJP government is now engaged in destroying the democratic system and constitutional values in the states." He said that suspending Bhakar for six months is a violation of parliamentary traditions and an undemocratic step.
Dotasra said that in a democracy, the voice of the opposition and the issues of people cannot be suppressed.
The Congress workers will give a befitting reply to this dictatorship of the BJP by agitating from the streets to Parliament, he added.
On the other hand, BJP Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg said it is the responsibility of the members to obey the directions of the chair.
"The suspended member was present in the House today and he did not obey the directions of the chair. He was continuously provoking in the House today also and his body language suggested that he does not care about any decision of the House. So, the decision to suspend him for six months was taken," Garg told reporters at a press conference inside the Assembly.
He said that on Monday when marshals were called to take Bhakar out of the House, he bit the wrist of two marshals, including a woman.
"This behaviour was even worse. The MLA who does not even know what he was doing then why will he apologise," Garg added.
Law Minister Jogaram Patel said that the appointment of the government lawyers was done as per the rules.
So far, we have appointed four PPs, 31 additional PPs and nine special PPs in 12 districts and all the appointments have been done as per the rules, Patel told reporters.
He said that the objection raised by the Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully said are completely baseless and without any facts.
The chaos in the House on Monday erupted when Jully raised the issue of appointment of government lawyers under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and demanded a reply from the government.
Chairperson Sandeep Sharma ordered the marshals to evict Bhakar from the House. The other Congress MLAs prevented the marshals from escorting him out of the House.
The Congress members then sat on a dharna in the Well of the House even after the chairperson announced an adjournment for the day.