Assam Assembly: Congress MLAs stages Walkout

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Congress MLAs staged a walkout from the Assam Legislative Assembly today in protest against the Speaker not taking any action against five Congress MLAs who had left the party. While two of the five Congress deserters joined other parties, three have not joined any party.

Drawing the attention of Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Debabrata Saikia expressed concern over the Speaker not taking any action under Schedule 10 against the Congress MLAs who had deserted the party, despite an appeal.

In his reply, the Speaker said, “I just received complaints from your side regarding MLAs deserting the Congress. I need to examine the matter thoroughly before taking any action. The examination of the matter is underway. Desertion of his party by an MLA is an incident occurring outside the Assembly. If any MLA defies the party whip in the House, I can take action as per the rules instantly.”

Abdur Rashid Mandal and Sherman Ali Ahmed joined Raijor Dal recently. Three other Congress MLAs—Basanta Das, Sashikanta Das, and Kamalakshya Purkayastha—officially deserted the Congress last year. The trio openly supports the BJP, though they have not joined it.

The Speaker said, “The Congress hasn’t even expelled the five MLAs. You have only suspended them. You need to expel them first and come to me. In that case, I can disqualify them under Schedule 10 of the Indian Constitution. How can I take action against the suspended MLAs? Rather than placing responsibility in my hands, it is incumbent upon you to finalise the expulsion process.”

Also Read: Gaurav Gogoi Slams Bhupen Borah’s Shift to BJP