The third day of the supplementary monsoon session of the Jharkhand Assembly was marked by repeated disruptions, the passage of a key university bill, and a stormy debate on the devastation caused by torrential rains.
The morning session saw BJP legislators storm the Well with slogans, forcing adjournments first till noon and then again till 2 p.m.
When the House reconvened, Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu tabled the Jharkhand State University Bill, 2025. It was adopted by voice vote despite opposition amendments from BJP MLA Naveen Jaiswal, who sought its referral to a select committee and objected to provisions curbing the Governor’s powers. His motion was defeated.
The highlight of the day was a two-hour special discussion on excessive rainfall and its aftermath, moved by ruling party member Umakant Rajak. He reported that the state had received 32 per cent above-normal rainfall, leading to widespread destruction: 200 deaths from lightning, 100 from snakebites, 175 from drowning, the collapse of over 15,000 kutcha houses, damage to transformers and bridges, and crop losses across two lakh hectares.
Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi accused the government of poor preparedness. Citing CAG findings, he said relief work had stalled due to missing utilisation certificates. He demanded immediate compensation to bereaved families, permanent housing for those who lost homes, paved roads to every revenue village, and protection of farmers’ land in Nagri. “Long speeches will not help. People need to see the government’s work on the ground,” he remarked.
Outside the House, BJP MLAs staged protests alleging “planned demographic change” in several constituencies. Inside, they pressed for a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to eliminate bogus voters. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radhakrishna Kishore opposed the move, but the Opposition persisted.
Marandi alleged that illegal migrants, particularly from Bangladesh, were altering population patterns. Jaiswal added that safeguarding the electoral rolls was a matter of national security. “Our citizenship is defined by our voter ID. Illegal residents must be identified and deported, not legitimised,” he said.
The day underscored a twin narrative: the government’s bid to showcase legislative progress and disaster response, and the Opposition’s drive to corner it on relief measures and demographic concerns.