Rahul Gandhi Row: 16 MLAs Of Congress Suspended From Gujarat Assembly For Creating Ruckus

Amit Chavda, the leader of the Congress Legislative Party, demanded a discussion on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha as soon as the question hour began.

Congress workers during a protest against the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha

Source : PTI

The Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly on Monday removed as many as 16 of 17 Congress MLAs from the House for the remainder of the Budget session until March 29 for causing a stir and staging protests regarding Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as an MP, reported the news agency PTI.

Imran Khedawala, Geniben Thakor, and Amrtutji Thakor, members of the main opposition party, were ejected by marshals from the well of the House and refused to return to their seats despite repeated appeals from Speaker Shankar Chaudhary.

The remaining 16 MLAs of Congress were in the House on Monday, with the exception of Anant Patel.

Amit Chavda, the leader of the Congress Legislative Party, demanded a discussion on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha as soon as the question hour began, claiming that he had been "silenced by the BJP government" for raising issues that affected people.

On March 23, a court in Surat found Gandhi guilty of criminal defamation for his remark about the "Modi surname" and sentenced him to two years in prison. This resulted in Gandhi losing his eligibility to serve as an MP.

In protest of Gandhi's disqualification, all Congress MLAs entered the Gujarat Assembly on Monday in black uniforms.

Chavda was asked to sit down by speaker Shankar Chaudhary, who stated that there will be no discussion during question hour and asked him to bring the topic up later.

Other Congress MLAs rushed toward the well at this point, waving slogans reading "Modi-Adani Bhai Bhai." Additionally, they displayed photographs and placards establishing a connection between Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Chaudhary warned the opposition not to waste "people's time" when all 16 MLAs stormed into the well and refused to stop shouting slogans.

The Speaker ordered marshals to expel those lawmakers who refused to leave and continued to sit in the well area while the MLAs stayed put for a day.

State Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rushikesh Patel moved to suspend all of them until the end of the current Budget session on March 29 after blaming Congress for the chaos.

"Despite knowing that the subject they were raising was not of Gujarat, these Congress members created chaos and raised slogans as a pre-planned strategy. They misled the people of Gujarat through this. Thus, we request you to suspend them till the end of the session," said Patel.

Ministers Balwantsinh Rajput and Raghavji Patel likewise upheld Patel's proposition for a more extreme discipline. The Aam Aadmi Party MLAs did not object to Patel's motion, which was approved unanimously.

"These Congress MLAs came wearing black clothes and raised slogans. I requested them not to engage in such activity. Thus, as per rule 52 of the Assembly, I hereby suspend all those MLAs who staged protests and raised slogans in the House," said Chaudhary.

By voice vote, Congress MLAs were then suspended for the rest of the Budget session.