Congress MLAs suspended

Speaker Dhirubhai Shah suspended Congress MLAs Gunvant Makwana and Premji Vadlani for the remaining part of the session, on Wednesday for showing dissent and displaying banners during the proceedings of the Assembly.

The two MLAs strongly protested against the state government decision to discontinue water supply from the Dharoi dam to the Fatehwadi irrigation project in Bavla, Dholka and Sanand districts of the state. The MLAs also threatened that the farmers would commit mass suicide if their demands were not met by the state government.

Mr. Makwana and Mr. Vadlani entered the House covering their mouths with cloth during the question hour. Despite several requests from the Speaker they did not concede to his requests and rushed to the Well of the House. Makwana refused to leave the Well and lay flat on the floor, covering himself with the banner and was carried away by marshalls.

Finance minister Vaju Vala demanded that the MLAs be named for their open display of dissent and for showing disrespect to the House while parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Mehta demanded that they be suspended for the remaining part of the budget session. Speaker Dhirubhai Shah named the MLAs and suspended them for the remaining session.

Republished from The Asian Age