Uproar in Assam Assembly: House adjourned twice as opposition demands probe against minister Ashok Singhal

GUWAHATI, March 21: The Assam Legislative Assembly witnessed intense chaos on Friday as the united Opposition disrupted proceedings, demanding a House Committee probe into corruption allegations against Minister Ashok Singhal. The uproar led to two adjournments, highlighting deepening political tensions.

The commotion began immediately after the Question Hour when Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia sought to introduce an adjournment motion to discuss allegations against Singhal, who currently serves as the Health, Family Welfare, and Irrigation Minister.

Saikia accused Singhal of being involved in a multi-crore rupee scam during his tenure as the Urban Affairs Minister, alleging corruption in the procurement of super sucker machines for the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC). He further claimed that the minister had overseen large-scale corruption in the Irrigation Department, where contractors were allegedly selected in violation of government norms.

However, Speaker Biswajit Daimary rejected the adjournment motion, citing that the day’s proceedings were reserved for discussions on the Finance Bill. While acknowledging the seriousness of the matter, Daimary suggested that the issue could be raised under alternative provisions.

Unrelenting, Saikia demanded the immediate formation of a House Committee to investigate the allegations. The Speaker assured that he would consider the request but refused to commit to immediate action.

Dissatisfied with the response, Congress MLAs stormed into the Well of the House, raising slogans and displaying placards. They were soon joined by AIUDF legislators Hafiz Rafikul Islam and Ashraful Hussain, CPI(M) MLA Manoranjan Talukdar, and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi, all demanding a formal probe.

As the ruckus persisted, Daimary adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

When the session resumed, Opposition members continued their protests, forcing Deputy Speaker Numal Momin to adjourn proceedings again, this time for five minutes.

Upon reconvening for the third time, Congress MLAs were notably absent, but AIUDF members and Akhil Gogoi persisted, pressing Momin for a definitive answer on whether a House Committee would be constituted. In response, Momin rebuked Gogoi, asking him to familiarize himself with parliamentary rules before making such demands.

Momin then suspended Akhil Gogoi from the House for 10 minutes, further escalating the political confrontation.

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