Ahmedabad, July 10 : As many as eight Congress MLAs have been suspended from the Gujarat Assembly till July 14 as the entire opposition created a ruckus for third day today to press their demand for an immediate debate on the deaths caused by spurious liquor in Ahmedabad.
Leader of opposition, Shaktisingh Gohil and all other Congress MLAs reached the House in black clothes to display their protest over the hooch tragedy and to observe ‘Black Day’ today.
As the House gathered for the day, the Congress members started shouting slogan against Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for allegedly protecting the bootleggers. As his repeated requests to restore order failed, Speaker Ashok Bhatt suspended eight Congress members, who had rushed to the well and began making noisy scenes.
Later, when the Congress members were staging dharna in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, near gate No 7 of the Vidhan Sabha, a group of around 250 activists of BJP’s Yuva Morcha confronted them leading to a clash. Later, police and Assembly security guards intervened and separated the fighting workers.
Though the official death the toll in the liquor tragedy has crossed 100, Congress claimed that toll was over 200, saying the deaths of many victims were not reported and their bodies were disposed off unreported due to police and political pressure.
Congress has continued its demand of a two-hour debate on the issue in the House, sacking of home and prohibition minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Narendra Modi relinquishing Home portfolio and formation of an Assembly committee to inquire into the hooch tragedy.
Mr Modi has termed the Congress agitation as a stunt to gain political mileage and not showing any sympathy towards the departed souls and their family members at this crucial time.
–Agencies