Rajasthan Assembly leaders reach consensus to run House peacefully ahead of budget session

Jaipur, Feb 17 (PTI ) The deadlock in the Rajasthan Assembly over the phone-tapping allegations raised by Cabinet Minister Kirodi Lal Meena ended on Monday after leaders of all major parties reached a consensus to run the House peacefully ahead of the Budget Session.

The consensus was arrived upon during an all party meeting convened by Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devani.

Opposition Congress MLAs had threatened to disrupt the functioning of the House until Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma addressed the phone-tapping allegations raised by Cabinet Minister Kirodi Lal Meena.

In the meeting, held in the Speaker's chamber, all parties agreed to run the House peacefully after Speaker Devani stated that it was the responsibility of both major parties to maintain the dignity of the Assembly, an official statement said.

Devani expressed grief and concern over the atmosphere and circumstances created in the House in the past few days. He stated that no such situation should arise in the future, following which a consensus was reached between senior members of various parties to run the House smoothly.

He emphasised that the opposition should raise issues in the House in a peaceful and dignified manner, and the state government should make arrangements to respond to them appropriately.

He also mentioned that the state budget would be presented in the House on Wednesday, urging both sides to listen to it peacefully, as it is important for the state and its eight crore people.

Devani further noted that the public also watches the proceedings of the budget presentation, and elected representatives should set an example through their conduct, in line with the public's aspirations.

He added that after Zero Hour, members should present their views only with the permission of the Speaker or Chairman, as per the rules. Both the ruling party and the opposition should adhere to the arrangements set by the Speaker's chair. This is an ideal opportunity for MLAs to present the dignity of the Legislative Assembly before the people of the state, he said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel, Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully, Food and Supplies Minister Sumit Godara, Government Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg, Chief Whip of the Opposition Rafiq Khan, RLD's Dr Subhash Garg, and Legislative Assembly Principal Secretary Bharat Bhushan Sharma were present at the meeting. PTI AG ARD ARD

Source: PTI