Congress MLAs refuse to felicitate Gujarat CM, minister in assembly as mark of protest

Opposition MLAs from the Congress on Wednesday registered their protest against the ruling BJP by refusing to felicitate Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and his cabinet colleague in the assembly in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu.

Murmu was invited by Speaker Shankar Chaudhary to address legislators on the first day of the Monsoon session and inaugurate the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) project of the Gujarat assembly.

After her arrival in the assembly in the morning, the President was welcomed by Chief Minister Patel and Chaudhary on the dais of the House.

An announcement was then made requesting Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Amit Chavda to come on the dais to felicitate the chief minister.

However, Chavda, a senior Congress MLA, did not get up from his seat and nodded his head to convey his decision of not coming to the stage.

Another senior Congress MLA, Shailesh Parmar, also refused to felicitate Gujarat Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs Minister Rushikesh Patel, who was also on the dais with other dignitaries.

Talking to reporters later, Chavda said they refused to felicitate the two BJP leaders as a mark of protest over the alleged ''abduction'' of three Congress members of the Kalol taluka panchayat in Gandhinagar district by police ahead of the election of its president and vice-president on Wednesday.

''To win election by hook or crook, three of our taluka panchayat members were abducted by police ahead of election in Kalol at the behest of the CM and his minister. Such murder of democracy happened when the President was in the state. Thus, to register our protest, we did not get up to felicitate the CM and his minister (Rushikesh Patel). This has to do nothing with the President. Our protest was against the BJP,'' Chavda maintained.

Notably, AAP legislature party leader Chaitar Vasava also did not get up from his seat when his name was announced for felicitating Deputy Speaker Jethabhai Bharwad.

Explaining his stand, the first-time AAP MLA told reporters there was no meaning in felicitating Bharwad again because Gujarat minister Praful Pansheriya had already presented a bouquet to the deputy speaker when his (Vasava's) name was announced.