Vibrant bipartisanship

At a time when the BJP and Congress are at loggerheads in Gujarat over an income tax department investigation into Vibrant Gujarat MoUs, the Gujarat Congress, the main state opposition party, staged a walkout from the state Assembly on behalf of a BJP MLA! This bizarre occurrence was the result of a one-day suspension of BJP MLA Kanubhai Kalsaria, who is leading a farmers’ protest against Nirma’s cement plant in Mahuva. He was suspended for storming the well of the House to highlight the issue of women protestors who were prevented from meeting the Speaker and were then detained by the police. Last Friday, the Congress raised a point of order demanding that the women should be allowed to meet the Speaker. BJP MLAs opposed this, which led to the walkout by the Congress in solidarity with Kalsaria.