BJP boycotts House partially over MLAs' right to raise supplementaries

The opposition BJP Thursday partially boycotted the Question Hour against a Rajasthan assembly ruling allowing only two supplementary queries by the member asking the question and none by others.

Only those BJP MLAs attended the assembly proceeding during the Question Hour whose questions were listed. The others skipped it as a mark of protest.

Even the legislators who attended the House left immediately after asking their questions.

The state assembly has been witnessing uproar since Monday with the opposition BJP members urging Speaker C P Joshi to allow all MLAs to raise supplementary queries over questions asked by any one of them.

The BJP's insistence over the members right to ask supplementaries has led to repeated arguments in the House, culminating into walkouts since Monday.

 

With the BJP members largely staying away from the House during the Question Hour, the House proceedings had a smooth sailing.

But as soon as the Question Hour ended and the Zero Hour started, the BJP MLAs trooped into the House, raising slogans that "asking questions is our right".

Speaker Joshi took objection to the slogan shouting by the BJP MLAs, saying no one can mount pressure on the chair.

Reacting to Joshi's assertion, Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore said, "We are elected representative and asking questions is our right."

Addressing reporters outside the House, BJP MLA Ashok Lahoti said once a question is listed it becomes the property of the House and any MLA can raise supplementaries over it.

This has been a tradition, he added.

The speaker should allow two-three people to ask supplementary questions, but it is not being done to protect the ministers and the government, he alleged.

Congress Deputy Whip Mahendra Choudhary said the BJP has decided not to participate in the Question Hour to hog the limelight and misguide people.

If they are boycotting the House, no legislator should participate in its proceedings, he said, adding it has become their habit to protest and enter the Well to disrupt the proceedings.