Ranchi: Tuesday's assault on Swami Agnivesh in Pakur rocked the third day of the ongoing monsoon session of the state Assembly on Wednesday while the BJP and Opposition stayed polarised on the amended land acquisition law.

The first supplementary budget for this fiscal and settlement of accounts bill were passed by the House amid noisy scenes without discussion.

When the House assembled at 11am, JVM legislative party leader Pradeep Yadav sought answers from the government on Swami Agnivesh's attack allegedly by BJP workers. Other Opposition members backed Yadav. Leader of Opposition Hemant Soren alleged that suspected attackers, rounded up for interrogations, were released following phone calls from Ranchi (read chief minister Raghubar Das), and decried BJP hooliganism ruled the roost.

Suddenly, urban development minister C.P. Singh rose up to say Agnivesh was a veteran cheat, hand in glove with foreign agencies. Amid furore, BJP chief whip Radha Krishna Kishore asked why no question was being raised on the gang rape of five social workers in Khunti. Soon, treasury bench members chanted slogans alleging Opposition members were brokers of rapists and wondered if the Opposition was concerned about the priest (in Khunti) and nuns (in Ranchi) who tried to hush up the gang rape or sold infants.

Parliamentary affairs minister Neelkanth Singh Munda said the chief minister has asked Santhal Pargana divisional commissioner and DIG to probe into the assault of Swami Agnivesh and suitable actions would be taken on the basis of inquiry report. But, he too wondered why the Opposition was not bothered about the Khunti gang rape.

Speaker Dinesh Oraon's appeals for order went unheard. Within 20 minutes or so the House was adjourned till 12.45pm.

Minister Singh told this paper he stood by what he said about Swami Agnivesh in the House. "I believe he (Agnivesh) masterminded the attack to gain public sympathy and limelight. He is a nonentity. This incident gave him a new lease of life," he fumed.

When the House reassembled at 12.45pm, fuming members of treasury benches and Opposition members forced the Speaker to again adjourn the House till lunch (2pm). The Speaker's meeting with legislative party leaders for the smooth functioning of the House proved futile. Hemant told newspersons he was helpless. "I requested the CM to withdraw the amended land acquisition law. But, the CM flatly asked me to scrap the law if I formed the government in 2019. This government is responsible for not allowing the House to run," he said.

Noisy protests dominated the House again at 2pm. There was no discussion on the first supplementary budget as no one had initiated cut motion. The supplementary budget and settlement of accounts bill were passed by voice vote. The DVC's annual report was laid.

JMM MLA Paulus Surin told newspersons that the government's bias in the Khunti gang rape was evident. "The police arrested RC Mission School principal Father Alfonso Aind for not informing the police soon after the women (social workers) were abducted, but an NGO (Asha Kiran) functionary Sanjay Sharma, who was present on spot, has been spared," he alleged. JVM's Pradip Yadav said the government did not want the House function to avoid answering difficult questions.

"Through a short notice question today, I raised the issue of the land mafia grabbing 16 cottah of the transport department in Deoghar with help from corrupt officials. I could have proven this had the House functioned," he said.