Modi govt destroyed Guj Assembly’s democratic traditions: Cong

Accusing the ruling BJP and former Gujarat Chief MinisterNarendra Modi of destroying the democratic traditions of state Assembly, Congress today handed over a memorandum to the Lok Sabha Speaker in this regard here.

The Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan is here to inaugurate the three-day All India Presiding Officers’ Conference, to be held at the Gujarat Assembly.

The opposition party urged Mahajan to discuss the points raised in the memorandum during the conference to re-establish the sanctity of democratic institutions in Gujarat.

The memorandum alleges that after Modi became the Chief Minister in 2001, several attempts were made to silence the voice of opposition.

The duration of Assembly session was reduced, it says.

“A resolution had been passed at one such conference that the state Assemblies should meet for at least 100 days in a year in the states where there are more than 100 MLAs. In Gujarat, this is not followed.

“After Modi came to power, the number of days have been drastically reduced. Sometimes the Assembly meets for one or two days in six months (only) to show that rules are being followed,” it states.

Questions of opposition MLAs are omitted from agenda to avoid the humiliation of answering tough questions, it says.

The memorandum, signed by the Leader of Opposition Shankersinh Vaghela and former Leaders of Opposition Shanktisinh Gohil and Arjun Modhwadia was handed over to Mahajan by the Congress’s chief whip in Assembly Balwantsinh Rajput.
“House proceedings of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and many

state Assemblies reach people through live telecast. Here, censorship was imposed few years back on the live telecast (by banning it)…Edited version only carries pro-government proceedings,” Congress alleges.

“Zero-hour discussion (provision) is also there in the Parliament, so that important and urgent issues can be discussed. But after Modi became the CM such practice…Has been banned. We urge you to make a rule during the conference that such practise must be implemented everywhere,” says the memorandum.

The Deputy Speaker’s post was always given to the opposition in Gujarat in the past, but after Modi became the CM, no appointment was made to the post for 11 years. When it was made following the High Court’s intervention, a BJP MLA was appointed as Deputy Speaker, it says

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