The centenary celebrations of the Bihar Legislative Assembly building on Sunday witnessed ruckus after a CPI-ML legislator objected to BJP flags at the venue and raised the issue of the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the three controversial farm laws.
“This centenary celebration is a celebration of democracy. It was not necessary to hoist BJP flags on the occasion. This function is of the people of Bihar and not of the BJP,” CPI-ML legislator Mehboob Alam said at the ceremony held in the central hall of the Assembly.
His words drew instant reaction from the BJP legislators and they started shouting to register their opposition to his remarks. Alam did not stop there and went on to speak about the ongoing farmers’ protest against the new farm laws.
“The farmers’ protest is going on in the country and we express our support and sympathy for them,” Alam added.
It added fuel to the fire as the BJP MLAs started shouting to drown out Alam’s voice. They asked him to stop speaking but he asserted that they would have to listen to him in a democracy despite being rattled, and completed his speech amid the pandemonium.
The present Assembly building was inaugurated on February 7, 1921, to hold the session of what was then known as the Legislative Council.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the centen ary celebrations presided over by Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha. Deputy chief ministers Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi, minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, and one or two MLAs from all political parties spoke on the occasion.
Senior RJD leaders, including leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, his mother and former chief minister Rabri Devi and elder brother and MLA Tej Pratap Yadav did not attend the function.
Sinha stressed the need for the MLAs to understand the nuances of various functions of the Assembly, as well as their rights and duties.
“The people have elected the MLAs with much faith and hope. We hope their desired cooperation in making the lives of people better with discipline, behaviour and service. We will ask all MLAs to write outside their house that their families are free of addiction, crime, child labour, child marriage and dowry,” Sinha said.
Senior RJD leader Awadh Bihari Chaudhary rued the alleged lack of respect shown by government officers to the MLAs, and called for ensuring that they (officers) follow protocol and proper etiquette while meeting the legislators.
AIMIM legislator Akhtarul Iman Shaheen demanded that the monsoon and winter sessions of the Assembly should be held for a longer period instead of just two to four days to ensure that public issues could be taken up. He also demanded answers to questions raised by the Opposition legislators and hearing them during special debates.
Nitish asserted that all MLAs, be they from the ruling parties or the Opposition, were part of the government and it was necessary to pay attention to the issues raised by them.
“It is the duty of the MLAs to gather information about the issues pertaining to their area and raise them in the Assembly. We assure them that their relevant questions would be definitely resolved,” Nitish said.
The chief minister also said that the centenary celebrations will continue for a year and the President and the Prime Minister will also participate in some of the programmes.
