Ranchi, March 20: The Speaker was forced to repeatedly adjourn the House today when pandemonium prevailed following an Opposition legislator?s unruly behaviour, who piled chairs on the reporters? table to protest the unaided education policy in the state.
The Opposition yesterday had threatened to stall the House over the policy.
It all began after Sudhir Mahto, the Leader of the Opposition, moved an adjournment motion over the issue of unaided education policy in the state, in the House this morning.
A commotion ensued and Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari tried to pacify the Opposition saying the topic could be taken up during the question hour.
But the Opposition rushed to the well raising slogans and a terribly agitated Forward Bloc MLA, Bhanu Pratap Shahi, piled up some chairs on reporters? table in protest. JD(U) member Radha Krishna Kishore tried in vain to restrain Shahi. The House was adjourned repeatedly.
Later, Namdhari announced that senior leaders of the leading Opposition parties had agreed that Shahi should tender an apology.
Shahi, too, said: ?I don?t mind expressing my regret, but let me clarify my stand first.? This irked the Speaker.
?Don?t think that you are free to do anything after winning the elections. Your House membership can be terminated. So far, in the history of the Jharkhand Assembly, no one has been marshalled out or suspended, so don?t force me to take harsh steps. I can have differences with the chief minister as well if he does not function properly,? said Namdhari.
Sudhir Mahto urged the Speaker to forgive Shahi since he was young and did not have experience in parliamentary business. Shahi said he was sorry if he hurt the feelings of the chair.
Undeterred, CM Arjun Munda iterated his helplessness to bring an end to the unaided education policy.
?Neither is it possible to stop any one from opening schools and colleges, including technical institutes, nor can we extend financial aid to them. But we have identified certain private institutes, which will be given financial aid,? he said.
