RAIPUR, Jan 4 (PTI): The Chhattisgarh Assembly witnessed uproar on Wednesday when the opposition BJP alleged irregularities in the distribution of free rice allocated by the Centre to the state under a welfare scheme and demanded a probe by a House committee.
Opposition MLAs trooped into the well of the House while shouting slogans on the issue. Some of them tore papers and threw them towards the dais of Speaker Charandas Mahant.
Raising the issue in Question Hour, senior BJP MLA Dharamlal Kaushik asked about the quantity of free rice allowed to be distributed by the Central government under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) from March 2020 till November 2022 in Chhattisgarh.
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In his reply, food and civil supply minister Amarjeet Bhagat said, the state had received 27.10 lakh tonnes of rice from the Centre under the scheme for allocation during the above-mentioned period, of which, 26.40 lakh tonnes rice was given to beneficiaries.
He further said that 0.70 lakh tonnes of rice was remaining (to be distributed).
Kaushik and other BJP members, including Brijmohan Agrawal and Ajay Chandrakar, claimed irregularities in the distribution of rice under the PMGKY scheme. The charge was denied by the minister.
Leader of Opposition Narayan Chandel demanded a probe by constituting a committee of the House.
Unhappy with the minister’s reply, the opposition members- 12 from BJP and one from Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J)- trooped into the well of the House and were automatically suspended.
Amid the pandemonium, the Speaker announced the suspension of 13 opposition members and adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
The ruckus continued after the House resumed as MLAs of ruling Congress MLAs and the Opposition raised slogans.
The Speaker then adjourned the proceedings for an hour.
After the House resumed, the Speaker took up the listed business for the day while Opposition members remained sitting on the floor shouting anti-government slogans.
Brijmohan Agrawal alleged the opposition members are not being heard in the Assembly. The Opposition members then went out of the House.
The Speaker said the act of the MLAs (who tore papers and threw them) was against the dignity of the chair and termed it inappropriate.
He adjourned the House sine die after concluding listed business for the day.
