The row over the formation of new districts and tehsils by the previous Congress-led government in Rajasthan at the fag end of its term and subsequent cancellation of some of them later by the incumbent BJP government rocked the state assembly here Wednesday as the agitated Opposition staged a walkout after a brief ruckus.
The trouble erupted during the Zero Hour when a taunting quip by Revenue Minister Hemant Meena in reply to a supplementary on question from Geeta Barwad(Congress) irked many members including the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tika Ram Jully.
On Barwad’s question about upgrading the Aasop Sub-Tehsil as Tehsil, Minister Meena said a committee under retired IAS Lalit K Pawar has been working on the task of upgradation or formation of new districts or tehsils. The government would take a call on the issue only after receiving the panel’s report.
This broke out pandemonium in the House and amid uproar, the minister took a potshot at the LoP, saying, “Your (previous) government made new districts just before the assembly polls in 2023 with a motive to draw political mileage”.
LoP Jully reacted sharply, however, amid the din Meena went on to say, “Your government has given so many districts without following the norms and criteria, announced a long list on request (from party MLAs) or even without that, in the “District Lelo; Tehsil Lelo” (take away district; take away Tehsil-style.
While making the barb, he was unrelenting to listen to Jully’s pointed question “whether the government reopens files of those new districts of the erstwhile government which were revoked by the present government.
The ensuing rockus continued for some time before the Congress members staged a walkout.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joga Ram Patel condemned the Opposition members for staging “unnecessary walkouts”.