Jaipur: Congress leaders staged a strong protest inside the Rajasthan Assembly, spending the night in the House after six of their MLAs were suspended in a politically motivated move by the ruling BJP. The suspensions followed an uproar over a derogatory reference to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by a BJP minister.
Among those suspended were Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, Deputy Leader of Opposition Ramkesh Meena, and MLAs Amin Kagzi, Zakir Hussain Gesawat, Hakeem Ali Khan, and Sanjay Kumar Jatav. The BJP’s action came after Congress leaders objected to Social Justice Minister Avinash Gehlot’s comment, referring to Indira Gandhi as “aapki dadi” (your grandmother) while discussing a scheme for working women’s hostels.
The BJP government, avoiding accountability, repeatedly adjourned the Assembly instead of addressing the Opposition’s concerns. Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully demanded the “inappropriate” remark be removed from the records, but the BJP dismissed the demand, revealing its authoritarian approach to silencing dissent.
As Congress MLAs protested against the insult to Indira Gandhi, the BJP escalated matters by suspending them for the entire Budget session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel tried to justify the action, but the move was widely seen as an attempt to stifle the Opposition.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the BJP’s dictatorial behavior, drawing parallels with the suspension of MPs in Parliament. “The BJP has no achievements to showcase, so they are resorting to suppressing the voice of the Opposition,” he said. He pointed out that Congress MLAs from Dalit, backward, tribal, and minority communities were specifically targeted.
Congress has announced a statewide protest on Saturday, vowing to fight against the BJP’s anti-democratic actions.
