GUWAHATI, Feb 3 � The issue of corruption continued to rock the Assam Legislative Assembly for the third day today with the Opposition members virtually stalling the proceedings of the House with noisy protests leading to several adjournments. The Opposition members have been demanding that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should be entrusted with the responsibility of probing into all the financial irregularities in North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council and the Ministers allegedly involved in the irregularities should be removed to facilitate impartial probe.
As soon as the House assembled, the Opposition members jumped to their feet and started their noisy protests. The Opposition members asserted that they would not allow the House to function till their demands are fulfilled. Unable to pacify the Opposition members, the Speaker, Tanka Bahadur Rai adjourned the House for the entire duration of the Question Hour. It may be mentioned here that for the second day, no question was discussed in the House.
As soon as the House re-assembled at 10 am, the Opposition members started their protests, but the Speaker tried to continue with the proceedings of the House and allowed Mohibul Haque to move two zero hour motions and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dr Nazrul Islam and Water Resources Minister Prithibi Majhi gave their replies. But nothing could be heard in the din amidst slogan shouting and thumping of the desks by the Opposition members.
The Speaker also continued with the debate on the motion of thanks on the Governor�s address amidst noisy protests by the Opposition members. As the Opposition members did not take part in the debate, Wazed Ali Choudhury, Rana Goswami and Bhupen Bora of the Congress and Karendra Basumaraty of the BPF participated in the debate but their speeches were not heard by anyone amidst slogan shouting by the Opposition. In between Independent legislator Jiten Gogoi went to the well of the House twice and was engaged in a war of words with the Opposition members, but on both occasions, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bharat Chandra Narah escorted him back to his seat.
Revenue Minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman faced an embarrassing moment as he came into the House amidst noisy protests by the Opposition and sat down on the chair of the Chief Minister by mistake, which prompted the Opposition members to ask whether there was a change of the Chief Minister in the State.
Unable to control the situation, the Speaker adjourned the House for the second time at 10.45 am. The Speaker had to adjourn the House once again at 12.16 pm till 1 pm following the pandemonium during the debate on the Governor�s address.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi rose to read out his prepared speech in reply to the debate at 1.05 pm and he could read only the first and last paragraphs of his four page long speech.
The Chief Minister criticized the Opposition for its �trampling the democratic values� with their refusal to take part in the proceedings of the session in a constructive manner. The Opposition has also missed the chance to reach out to the people with a democratic approach, he said.
His Government is not indulging in corruption, or else, it would have been unable to pay regularly its employees and to initiate developmental works, he claimed. The improvement its finance has enabled the State today to initiate developmental schemes in areas of education, road connectivity, rural development, health , social welfare, tourism among others, said the Chief Minister.
