Chandigarh, August 24
The Haryana Vidhan Sabha which met for the monsoon session today witnessed two walkouts by a “disillusioned” Opposition (read INLD) over what was later termed as “biased” proceedings. INLD’s Abhey Chautala was slapped with charges of hurling an abuse at a chief parliamentary secretary and Dalit Congress MLA Jaiveer Balmiki, indicative of his caste, while the Leader of the Opposition, Om Prakash Chautala, was charged with threatening him.

The standard of heated “arguments” between the members of the treasury and Opposition benches plummeted to new lows. While the Congress MLAs, taking cue from the party high command’s stance to deal with the Opposition in Parliament had donned a new “offensive” avatar, the belligerent Opposition, with its hands full with issues to nail the government, was in no mood to relent despite the Congress resistance. However, after the Congress slapped charges against the Chautala father-son duo, the INLD went on the backfoot as it got into a defensive mode and all its aggression came to naught.

The session took off on a discordant note when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, quoting from a book of parliamentary conventions, said the INLD legislators, wearing their party scarves with the party symbol, could not do so.

Chautala insisted that this must be incorporated in the rule book despite Speaker Kuldeep Sharma giving his ruling asking them to remove the scarves. The INLD MLAs staged the first walkout on the issue after 30 minutes of debating.

After the obituary references and before the question hour could begin, Chautala urged the Speaker to suspend the question hour and take up more pressing matters. However, this request was turned down and he began listing the names of members whose questions were listed. At this, INLD’s Ram Pal Majra began reading out Geetika’s suicide note and insisted on a discussion on the Kanda episode.

On being informed that the matter was sub-judice, the INLD members trooped into the well and began raising slogans. The Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes and the scene remained unchanged when it met again with the INLD adamant on its demand. The House was adjourned a second time for 15 minutes.

When it met again, Chautala sought an assurance from the Speaker that the matter would be allowed after the question hour. However, with Sharma non-committal, Chautala said the CM may be on a weak footing but the House is not weak, prompting the Congress MLAs to troop into the well.

Balmiki got into an argument with the INLD members raising slogans even as INLD’s Ashok Arora tried to hold back an angered Abhey Singh Chautala who allegedly abused Balmiki and the House had to be adjourned again.

On returning, Balmiki submitted a complaint to the Speaker alleging that Abhey Chautala had abused him while Om Prakash Chautala had threatened him. Though Abhey refuted the allegations, the INLD staged a walkout after its argument that Congress MLAs, too, abused them, failed to cut ice.

Later, Sharma said that having heard both sides, he would pass orders on the matter.

Chandigarh, August 24
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said he was “pained” by the goings-on in the session of the Haryana Assembly while the Leader of Opposition, Om Prakash Chautala, termed the Congress allegations of a caste-indicative abuse as “frivolous” and aimed at distracting the focus off key issues in Haryana.

Addressing a press conference after the session, Hooda said the Opposition had no real issue against the government. “I have never witnessed this kind of behaviour. The Speaker gives a ruling and they disobeyed, they kept interrupting the question hour and didn’t let the House function. Wasting the time of the House, they deprived members of the time to raise issues of their respective constituencies. It was highly irresponsible behaviour and the INLD failed to perform its role,” he claimed.

Accompanied by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, Hooda said they did not participate in the adjournment motion. On being asked if the Opposition grievance of a “short session” was justified, Hooda said the Speaker decided the duration.

Countering INLD allegations that the Congress government was shielding former minister Gopal Kanda, Hooda said the law was taking its course and the government is not there to punish or protect anybody.

Earlier, Chautala, accompanied by Rampal Majra, alleged that the Speaker was functioning in a “biased” fashion and taking directions from the ruling party to waste time. “We had no option but to stage a walkout, given the Speaker’s bias,” he claimed.

On the matter of Abhey being charged with abusing a CPS and he, for allegedly threatening the CPS, Chautala said this was the Congress way of avoiding a discussion on the Kanda issue, the Apna Ghar sex scandal, the many cases going on against Congress ministers and former ministers. “It was an irrelevant fabricated complaint with the sole motive of avoiding a debate.

Chandigarh, August 24
An attempt by the BJP-HJC alliance to pin down the Haryana Government on the violence at Maruti’s Manesar plant fell flat in the Vidhan Sabha today.

Raising the issue through a calling-attention motion, alliance leader in the Vidhan Sabha Anil Vij tried to put the government on the mat claiming that contrary to the government’s claims even Power Minister Ajay Yadav had termed the violence as “pre-planned” and aimed at closing down the plant. Blaming the police intelligence and the Labour Department for their failure to monitor the situation in the run-up to the large-scale violence at the plant on July 18 and the subsequent lockout at Maruti’s Manesar plant resulting in a huge financial loss and termination of 527 employees, Vij asserted that the lockout at Maruti reflected poorly on the state government’s policies on labour-management relations.

However, intervening in the discussion, Yadav alleged that “unnecessary controversy” was sought to be created on his statement in a section of the media by Vij. He claimed that he was “misquoted” in the media while maintaining that certain Left unions were desperately working for shifting the Maruti plant to another state.

Earlier, in reply to the motion, Industries Minister Randeep Surjewala asserted that though the Manesar violence seemed to be “pre-planned,” a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been constituted to probe the matter and it would be too early to arrive at any conclusion. Saying that the question of relocation of its unit outside Haryana does not arise, he claimed that Maruti would invest Rs 1,700 crore for setting up C-plant in its Manesar unit.

Maruti had expanded its investment base first by setting up the Manesar plant in 2007 and recently by establishing its motorcycle production, International Testing Track and Research and Development facility at the IMT, Rohtak, at an investment of Rs 3,500 crore, he added.

Congress legislator Sampat Singh wanted to know the timeframe by which the plant would start functioning to its full capacity. Surjewala replied Maruti was expected to restore its original production capacity within 15-30 days.

Jind, August 24
The Sarva Jat Khap Samiti, a body of various khaps of the Jat community in the state, at a meeting held here today decided to launch a stir if the Haryana government failed to meet its demand for quota.

Chaired by Nafe Singh Nain of the Binain khap, the body said it appeared that the government had put the issue on the backburner.

Serving an ultimatum on the state government to accept its demand by December 15, the meeting resolved to revive the agitation which had been suspended following an assurance by the state government a few months ago.

A meeting of all khap bodies would be held on September 13 at Danoda Kalan village in the district regarding the agitation. He said the September13 meeting would perhaps witness the participation of Jat Khaps within the state only as no invitation had been given to such bodies from outside the state. The representatives of Malik, Binain, Kandela Khatkar, Beniwal, Bhanwala, Lohan, Maan, Panghal, Redu, Naugama and Barah Kalan khaps took part in today’s meeting.

A spokesperson of the samiti said 116 representatives of the khap samiti had met the Chief Minister on August 16, but the authorities had not yet followed up with action.

Kuldeep Singh Danda, convener of the meeting, said the Backward Commission set up by the state government was yet to submit its report regarding its recommendation. He added the process would have been easier if the report was time-bound.

Karnal, August 24
The Railway police has arrested Army lance naik Charanjit, son of Bachan Singh of Kamma village in Ludhiana district of Punjab, for the death of French national Frank Wilferd, who was pushed out of the running train (Sachkhand Express) plying between Delhi and Amritsar at the Karnal railway station on April 29 last.

Charanjit, who is currently posted at Dehradun, was produced in the court of Rajni Kaushik, Judicial Magistrate (Class-I), who remanded him to two days’ police custody.

The police came to know that Charanjit had a quarrel with the French national and after a scuffle, he allegedly pushed him out of the train.

Frank Wilferd went into a coma after the fall and was rushed to the PGI, Chandigarh, but he died on May 2.

Charanjit said he was provoked as the Frenchman was under the influence of some intoxicant and misbehaved with his wife and kicked her in the stomach.

Ambala, August 24
Having refused to undergo a sex determination test, a five-month pregnant woman was beaten mercilessly by her husband resulting in the termination of her pregnancy.

Raunak of Kacha Bazar in Ambala Cantt, who had tied the knot two years ago, had to face the wrath of her husband as she refused to undergo the test.

Raunak, who had to be admitted to the Civil Hospital after she was thrashed by her husband, said he wanted her to undergo the sex determination test as he wanted to father a baby boy. When she refused, he thrashed her badly, which resulted in profuse bleeding leading to the termination of her pregnancy. The victim’s mother has filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner in this regard.

Kurukshetra August 24
The state government has banned the sale, purchase, possession and consumption of meat, fish, eggs and other non-vegetarian items within the municipal limits of Kurukshetra and Pehowa.

Mandip Singh Brar, Deputy Commissioner, said here today the orders had been issued in view of the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Executive Officer of the Municipal Council, Thanesar, and the Secretary, Municipal Committee, Pehowa, had been ordered to ensure strict compliance of the orders and not to issue any licence for the purpose.