Upset over not being granted permission to present a private resolution seeking the immediate enforcement of 33 per cent reservation for women, the opposition Congress staged a walkout from the Madhya Pradesh State Assembly during a one-day special session held in Bhopal on Monday.
Madhya Pradesh legislative assembly (photo:ANI)
Upset over not being granted permission to present a private resolution seeking the immediate enforcement of 33 per cent reservation for women, the opposition Congress staged a walkout from the Madhya Pradesh State Assembly during a one-day special session held in Bhopal on Monday.
After Congress MLAs demanded that their private bill be tabled, Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar declined to entertain it. He reasoned that a government resolution on the same issue had already been presented by Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav and had been listed as the only business of the day.
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As Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav rose to move the government resolution on implementing women’s reservation after delimitation, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar raised a point of order.
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Singhar stated that the Congress wanted an immediate discussion and enforcement of the Women’s Reservation Act passed by Parliament in 2023. The Speaker, however, asked him to allow the Leader of the House to present the proposal, adding that a ruling would follow.
Congress members insisted that their private bill be taken up, claiming it had been submitted on time. Legislative Affairs Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and senior BJP MLA and former Speaker Sitasaran Sharma argued that, under established rules and conventions, a government proposal takes precedence over a private bill.
On the other hand, senior Congress MLA and former Leader of Opposition Bala Bachchan supported Singhar, leading to heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches.
After order was restored, the Speaker ruled in favour of taking up the government resolution, following which Congress members staged a walkout. The opposition later raised slogans in the Assembly premises.
The BJP-led state government had convened the special session to pass a resolution tabled by Chief Minister Dr. Yadav, seeking the immediate implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies following delimitation.
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