Guwahati: The Assam Assembly witnessed repeated disruptions and two adjournments on Friday as opposition parties demanded a House Committee inquiry into corruption allegations against Minister Ashok Singhal.
Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia (Congress) sought an adjournment motion to discuss alleged large-scale corruption within the irrigation department and the urban affairs department, previously overseen by Singhal, who currently holds the health and family welfare and irrigation portfolios.
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Speaker Biswajit Daimary rejected the adjournment motion, citing the scheduled Finance Bill discussion. He suggested the matter could be addressed under other procedural rules.
Despite Daimary’s assurance to “look into” the demand for a House Committee, the Congress, joined by AIUDF, CPI(M), and Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi, staged a protest in the Well of the House, displaying placards and chanting slogans.
The escalating ruckus prompted Speaker Daimary to first adjourn proceedings for ten minutes, and then for another five minutes when the disruption resumed.
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Upon resumption, Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi pressed Deputy Speaker Numol Momin for a definitive answer on the House Committee’s formation. Momin, in response, suspended Gogoi for ten minutes, citing procedural rules.