Enraged over a comment of a BJP member during a discussion on farmer suicides, the leader of opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly T S Singhdeo today offered to resign.
Singhdeo has submitted a letter to the Assembly secretariat in this regard, principal secretary of Chhattisgarh Assembly Devendra Verma told PTI.
The letter says that a tribal named Ribai Pando died in Bijakura village in Sarguja district when Sunder Lal Patwa was the Chief Minister of erstwhile Madhya Pradesh, and Singhdeo's mother, the late Devendra Kumari, who was then Sarguja district Congress chief, had raised the issue.
During a discussion in the house today, BJP's Shivratan Sharma claimed that the report of death was false, and thus he insulted Singhdeo's mother and the Congress, the letter said.
A probe should be conducted forthwith and if Sharma's allegation was found to be true, then he (Singhdeo) will take the responsibility and resign, the Congress leader said.
But if the report of death was genuine, then Sharma should take his statement back, Singhdeo said in the letter.
Principal secretary Verma said, "There is a process for resigning under rules of the Assembly. This letter cannot be considered as a resignation."
Sharma, meanwhile, denied that he mentioned Ribai Pando in the House. He said he was speaking about another Pando.
