Opp runs parallel session

Vijay Deo Jha | Ranchi
Thursday, March 11, 2010

Although the Jharkhand Assembly seems to have started on an optimistic note on Wednesday morning, it lost no time in reaching the complete anarchy as soon as the session began. The House witnessed uproar of the Opposition that forced Speaker CP Singh to adjourn the proceedings of the House thrice at 12:05 pm, 12:45pm and finally at 2 pm.

The Opposition led by Vinod Singh (CPI)ML, Pradeep Yadav, Phoolchand Mandal, Nirbhay Sahabadi and Samresh Singh, all from the JVM, and KN Tripathy of the Congress tried to bring an adjournment motion to discuss and demand CBI inquiries into the corruption cases in Jharkhand. The demand for the motion was rejected by Speaker CP Singh.

The drama inside the Assembly reached a climax with the start of the session. And the irked Opposition rushed to the well; sat there to start a parallel session. The Opposition chose Samresh Singh as the Speaker of that parallel session. Singh perhaps tried to copy one unruly scene of Parliament last day and kicked a chair to symbolise a fiery Opposition this time.

Both the Treasury Bench and the Opposition held two separate Press conferences to accuse each others. The Speaker repeated appeal often lost in high octane sloganeering of the Opposition. “Down with the Government supporting corrupts elements. Corruption cases be investigated by the CBI,” Pradeep Yadav, Congress MLA Banna Gupta and others continuously raised slogans.

The appeal of the Speaker went unheard by the Opposition and the treasury bench and often allowed their tongues to sting their opponent with earthy adjectives.

The agitated treasury reciprocated the slogan shouting. “Chor machaye sore…chore chore mausera bhai.” In turn Gupta demanded a CBI probe of the Tata lease issue.

Chief Minister Shibu Soren was watching the theatrics motionless and the Opposition continued to prod him to give statement whether his Government agreed to recommend for a CBI inquiry of the corruption cases including the Madhu Koda scam.

At one point of time, Soren thought to stand to give statement but sank to his seat only to allow Das to mount assault on the Opposition.

“Your Prime Minister is the man of clean image. This corruption case has its roots in the foreign countries also. Why do not you ask your Prime Minister to involve Interpol to investigate the case?” Das said.

The Opposition did not allow the House to run which was adjourned till 12:45 and witnessed similar commotion when it was adjourned till 2pm.

Soon after the high voltage drama, Das, along with Deputy Chief Minister Sudesh Mahato and the HRD Minister Hemlal Murmu, held a joint press conference.

“The Opposition is anti-development…it has no issue and the act of the Opposition in
the House is discouraging,” Das slammed the opposition, adding, “Government has not
slackened its stand against corruption.”

Das reworded what he had said inside the House that vigilance department is competent enough to probe this case. He demanded that the diary of Koda that allegedly contains the names of some of the Congress leaders be made public.

The leader of the Opposition, Rajendra Singh, Pradeep Yadav, RJD MLA Annapurna Devi and Vinod Singh held another Press conference to counter the allegation of the Treasury Bench.

“We are not allowed to read the adjournment motion. We wanted a debate on the corruption issue in Jharkhand and demand CBI inquiries into all these cases, including Koda issue,” the Opposition charged the Government with not running the House in a democratic manner.

They claimed that the fear of noose around their neck is stopping the BJP and the JMM from recommending CBI inquiries.

In the Opposition, there was an unexciting audience --- Gita Koda, the wife of Madhu Koda, --- who did not react even to say ‘down the Government’ even for the sake Opposition’s unity.