Gandhinagar: Opposition Congress today staged a walkout from Gujarat Legislative Assembly to protest against Deputy Speaker Atmaram Parmar, who they alleged favoured a BJP MLA during a discussion in the House.
The Congress legislators later told reporters that they would table a no-confidence motion against Parmar over the issue.
Senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar said party MLAs met the Speaker Ganpat Vasava in his office after the walkout late this evening and informed him about party’s intention to move a no-confidence motion against Parmar.
“Since today’s session ended shortly after we walked out, we informed the Speaker that Congress will move a no-trust motion against Deputy Speaker, who acted in a biased manner, which is against the set principles of the House. The Speaker is expected to take a call about our motion in the days to come,” the Congress MLA said.
Prior to the walkout, the House witnessed a heated debate between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress on a private member resolution brought by Congress MLA Manibhai Vaghela about strict implementation of prohibition law to stop illicit liquor trade in the state.
While expressing his views on the subject after Vaghela’s speech, BJP MLA from Deodar in Banaskantha district, Keshaji Chauhan, claimed that liquor was distributed by one of his opponents during the 2012 Assembly polls to attract voters.
Keshaji said that despite his opponent’s “tactics”, he won the election.
Since the sitting Congress MLA Govabhai Rabari was his key opponent in that election and lost to Chauhan (in 2012) before being re-elected from Deesa bypoll seat in 2014, Rabari took a strong objection and asked Chauhan to provide a proof that he had distributed liquor in the polls.
Chauhan argued that he had not taken anybody’s name and there were seven candidates, including Rabari, who fought against him in 2012.
Not convinced with BJP MLA’s answer, Congress chief whip Balwantsinh Rajput asked Deputy Speaker Parmar, a BJP MLA, to take action against Chauhan for his remarks.
Rajput requested Parmar to use his powers and force Chauhan to take back his words and apologise.
“However, instead of reprimanding Chauhan for such baseless allegations, Parmar asked him to continue his speech without taking any names. We did not expect such a ruling from the Speaker. Hence, we walked out in protest of such biased attitude of Parmar,” Shailesh Parmar told PTI after the walkout.