As motion on COVID-19 reject, oppn MLAs walk out of assembly

Guwahati, Sep 1 (IANS) The opposition Congress and AIUDF on Monday staged a walk out on the opening day of the four-day session of the Assam Assembly after the speaker disallowed their adjournment motion on the COVID-19 pandemic and its management in the state.

Opposition leader Debabrata Saikia demanded a discussion on the pandemic and related issues, referring to Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent statement on the effect on the economy because of the pandemic.

Sarma, on Saturday while talking to the media, had said that the state would suspend a host of freebies given to COVID-19 patients as the state government has been facing financial crunch due to the rising expenditures in Covid-19 management.

The opposition leader told the house that Covid-19 cases are rising in Assam despite the lockdown and various other steps. Opposing the adjournment motion, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the pandemic has not only affected Assam but the entire country and the world.

“Government is ready to discuss the issue but not through an adjournment motion. I request the opposition parties to bring it in any other form” the minister told the opposition parties.

Rejecting the motion, Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami said the matter is not of urgent nature as the pandemic is happening for the last four-five months.

After the speaker rejected the opposition motion and went to the other businesses of the house, the members of the Congress and AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) walked out from the house.

The four-day session of Assam Assembly began on Monday in a very low key manner with just 50 per cent of MLAs present inside the house to maintain social distancing norms for preventing the spread of Covid-19.

Wearing masks, all Ministers and MLAs, senior officials, employees and Journalists attended the house.

On the first day, 20 bills were tabled by the government.

The Business Advisory Committee headed by the Speaker had earlier decided that at any given time, there would only be 50 per cent MLAs inside the house and all parties have allotted time slots to their members accordingly.

Besides using the sanitiser, the body temperature of everyone entering the Assembly complex was checked. A three-day camp was held in the Assembly premises and all Ministers, MLAs, officials, employees and journalists who would cover the proceedings were tested their samples for coronavirus.

In the camp, at least 24 people, including five MLAs, have tested positive for the Covid-19.

However, hardly any social distancing norm was found in the canteen of the Assembly complex with most people jumbled in the crowd.

–IANS

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