GUWAHATI: The Assam Legislative Assembly's winter session got off to a turbulent start on December 20, when members of the opposition Congress and CPI(M) staged a walkout after the Speaker refused to allow discussion of an adjournment motion regarding Mizoram allegedly occupying a government school in the Cachar district.
Speaker Biswajit Daimary refused a discussion of the adjournment motion put forth by the leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia and supported by CPI(M) member Manaoranjan Talukdar and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi.
Referring to a media report Debabrata Saikia said, “No 990 Dholapur LP School under Dholai constituency in Cachar district was destroyed in an explosion carried out by miscreants from Mizoram side on November 6, 2020. Now, this school building has been used by the Mizoram government to being a new school Saihapui V Primary School under Sarba Siksha Abhijan (SSA) Mission.”
“It was an Assam government school. Now, they have opened a Mizo school in the same building. How could this happen when CRPF has been deployed as neutral forces between the two states?” Saikia questioned.
“There were two rounds of minister-level talks between Assam and Mizoram. Our chief minister had also held two rounds of discussion with the Mizoram chief minister on the boundary disputes. Both states have decided to maintain the status quo till the final settlement of the boundary dispute,” he said.
“We want to discuss this case. We want our land and we cannot surrender this way. We bring acts, but how will we implement those if we do not have our land? It is a definite matter of urgency,” the Congress leader said.
“I have examined the adjournment notice. I accept it is an important topic. But it can be discussed in another device other than adjournment motion,” Daimary said while rejecting the motion.
“We can discuss this through other devices like Zero Hour or Cut Motion. For that, adjourning all work of the day is not required,” the Speaker said.
Pijush Hazarika, minister of parliamentary affairs, supported the speaker's decision and urged the opposition members to bring up the subject at a later time.
On this, the Congress, CPI(M) and Independent MLA started shouting with their demand and went to the Well of the House.
They also showed placards and some paper cuttings on the alleged encroachment of the school.
With the speaker deciding to move ahead to the next item of the day’s schedule, the opposition members staged a walkout after being in the Well of the House for about 10 minutes.
Earlier, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) members also staged a walkout after the speaker rejected an adjournment motion to discuss the eviction drive at Batadrawa Sattra in Nagaon district.
The Congress, the CPI(M), and the Independent MLA then started shouting their demands and went to the House Well.
Additionally, they displayed several paper cutouts and signs regarding the supposed encroachment of the school.
After spending around 10 minutes in the Well of the House, the opposition members staged a walkout when the speaker decided to move on to the next item on the agenda for the day.
Members of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) earlier left the chamber in protest after the speaker rejected an adjournment motion to discuss tthe eviction drive at Batadrawa Sattra in the Nagaon district .
After the Question Hour, Daimary informed the House that he has rejected the motion brought by AIUDF to discuss the eviction drive at Batadrava in Nagaon district.
"I have no objection to the topic. These can be discussed in other ways. There is no need to adjourn all the works of the day and discuss the matter in the House," Daimary said.
AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam replied that the matter is very recent and is of utmost importance to the people.
"The government is asking people to apply for land rights under its flagship Mission Basundhara 2.0. On the other hand, it's making people homeless who were once settled there by earlier state governments. Why is there a double standard?" Islam questioned.
However, the speaker reiterated that the matter can be discussed on other devices following which AIUDF MLAs started shouting with their demand to discuss the matter under the adjournment motion.
Responding to the demand, Pijush Hazarika said the eviction issue can be discussed during questions of the Revenue department as well as in other matters.
Then the AIUDF members went to the Well of the House, showed placards and raised slogans against the eviction exercise of the Assam government.
The BJP MLAs also went to the Well of the House and raised counter slogans to the AIUDF members.
With the speaker not paying any heed to their demand, the AIUDF MLAs staged a Walkout from the Assam Assembly.
Later, AIUDF MLA Ashraful Hussain told reporters outside the House that all their legislators have proceeded to Batadrawa to take stock of the situation arising out of the eviction drive.
Earlier independent MLA from Sibsagar Akhil Gogoi was suspended for raising law and order issues in Guwahati.
