A policeman speaks on his mobile while another takes a tobacco break outside the Assembly, unmindful of the ruckus inside. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, Feb. 26: A seemingly united Opposition gave the ruling Congress-led coalition a taste of things to come on the very first day of the budget session by disrupting the governor’s address and then staging a walkout over a “technical flaw” in the tabling of a bill.

Governor Ajai Singh had barely begun his speech — he said the past six years had seen a “dramatic turnaround” in the fortunes of Assam — when the Opposition started shouting “No, Sir” in chorus.

As the hubbub continued with the Opposition shouting and waving placards against price rise and deteriorating law and order, the governor went fast-forward to the last line of his 41-page speech. A speech that was supposed to last an hour ended in a minute.

The Opposition resumed its aggressive attitude when the House assembled after a tea break. This time, Opposition members raised their voices in unison against an alleged breach in protocol while introducing the Assam Cooperative Societies Bill, 2007.

The bill seeks to make co-operatives adaptable to the “present-day competitive market economy.”

The Opposition said the bill could not be introduced without repealing the previous act. But Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai was not convinced. As the bill was tabled, the Opposition stormed out of the House, exchanging bitter words with those on the treasury benches.

The Congress was quick to term the incident as a publicity stunt by a “demoralised” Opposition. It also questioned the ideology of the Opposition and challenged the BJP and the Assam United Democratic Front to demonstrate their “show of unanimity” outside the Assembly.

A government spokesman said the Opposition was trying to divert the people’s attention from the positive atmosphere created in the state by the success of the 33rd National Games. Parliamentary affairs minister Bharat Narah said the Opposition had set a bad precedent by going back on a “general consensus” arrived at not long ago. “It is an unwritten rule that the President or the governor’s address will not be disrupted,” Narah said.

The Asom Gana Parishad said the governor’s speech reeked of “falsehood”.

In the short time that he was allowed to speak, Lt Gen. (retd) Singh blamed Ulfa’s “insincerity” for the peace process coming unstuck. But he reiterated that Dispur’s door was open for talks with the militant group.