Guwahati, Feb 19: The second day of the Assam Legislative Assembly’s budget session saw unprecedented turmoil as the ruling BJP moved an adjournment motion for the first time in the state’s legislative history.
The House was adjourned three times on Wednesday following a heated exchange between ruling and opposition MLAs, both demanding discussions on separate issues.
The session, which began in Kokrajhar on Monday, descended into chaos after the Question Hour when both BJP and the opposition Congress submitted adjournment motions, seeking debates on conflicting matters. While the BJP pushed for a discussion on the Justice Biplab Kumar Sarma Commission report on the APSC cash-for-job scam, the Congress demanded a debate on the alleged coal syndicate scam.
As tensions escalated, Speaker Biswajit Daimari was forced to adjourn the House thrice to restore order. The situation took an unexpected turn when BJP MLAs, led by Manav Deka, Roopjoti Kurmi, and Rupak Sarma, stormed the Well of the House—an action typically associated with opposition parties—demanding that the APSC scam report be given priority. Their move stunned the opposition initially, but soon, Congress and AIUDF MLAs followed suit, marching to the Well with placards, insisting on a discussion on issues such as illegal coal mining, detention camps, and syndicates.
Despite repeated appeals from Speaker Daimari to maintain decorum, both sides remained steadfast, leading to multiple adjournments—first at 10:35 am for 10 minutes, then again at 10:55 am, and finally at 11:10 am for 20 minutes. When the session resumed at 11:30 am, Deputy Speaker Numal Momin stepped in to regain control.
Amidst the chaos, Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi was expelled from the House for ten minutes for repeatedly interrupting Minister Jayant Malla Barua’s speech. Reacting to the expulsion, Barua directly challenged Gogoi, accusing him of links to the APSC scam.
