Din in Chhattisgarh Assembly as BJP seeks discussion on killing of its leaders by Naxalites

After the discussion, the supplementary budget of Rs 4,143 crore for the ongoing fiscal 2022-2023 was passed in the Assembly, following which Speaker Mahant revoked the suspension of the BJP MLAs.

The Chhattisgarh Assembly witnessed chaotic scenes on Thursday when the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded a discussion on the “targeted” killing of its leaders by suspected Naxalites in Bastar region for opposing religious conversion.

Amid the din, the House proceedings were adjourned thrice in quick succession.

Thirteen BJP legislators were suspended twice after they trooped into the well of the House demanding a discussion on the issue by moving a notice for adjournment motion. Speaker Charan Das Mahant later revoked the suspension after the supplementary budget of Rs 4,143 crore for 2022-2023 was passed in the House.

BJP members, including Shivratan Sharma, Brijmohan Agrawal and Ajay Chandrakar, raised the issue in the Zero Hour and said the people of Bastar have been bearing the brunt of religious conversion. Alleging a “nexus” between (Christian) missionaries and Naxalites, Sharma said four BJP leaders who were instrumental in opposing the forced conversion were targeted and murdered in Bastar division (which comprises seven districts) in the last one month.

Chandrakar claimed Bastar was in a state of “undeclared emergency” and that an attempt was being made to change the demography of the tribal-dominated region as a part of a political conspiracy.

The BJP members accused the state government and police of giving protection to those involved in conversion and demanded a discussion on the issue by moving an adjournment motion notice.

Countering them, the ruling Congress legislators lashed out at the BJP, claiming that targeted killings happened during the previous BJP regime and Naxal activities were brought under control during the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government.

The ruckus on the issue prompted Deputy Speaker Santram Netam to adjourn the House for five minutes twice in quick succession.

After the proceedings resumed, Brijmohan Agrawal demanded that the Chair send a few ministers out of the House accusing them of continuously interrupting the BJP members from raising the issue.

Thereafter, Netam rejected the adjournment motion notice which led to chaos and BJP legislators trooped into the well of the House while shouting slogans, and 13 of them were suspended.

The deputy speaker then adjourned the House for the third time.

When the proceedings resumed, Netam revoked the suspension of the opposition members, but the BJP legislators again trooped into well of the House and shouted slogans against the Congress, accusing it of murdering democracy.

Netam then again announced the suspension of the opposition members.

Despite being suspended, the opposition MLAs continued sloganeering in the well of the House, while the deputy speaker took up the listed business for the day.

Amid sloganeering by the BJP legislators, the debate on the demand proposals for the third supplementary budget of the ongoing financial year continued. After the discussion, the supplementary budget of Rs 4,143 crore for the ongoing fiscal 2022-2023 was passed in the Assembly, following which Speaker Mahant revoked the suspension of the BJP MLAs.