3 opposition MLAs stage 11-hour dharna in Chhattisgarh Assembly

Raipur: Three opposition MLAs, including Amit Jogi, on Friday came out of the Chhattisgarh Assembly after staging an 11-hour dharna in the well of the House demanding to resume the Monsoon Session which was adjourned sine die on Thursday well before the schedule.

Besides Jogi (expelled from the Congress), who represents the Marwahi constituency, Congress MLA from Bilha, Siyaram Kaushik and MLA from Gunderdehi R K Rai (suspended from the Congress) were those who were agitating.

Jogi, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, and two other legislators had sat on the floor of the Well demanding to convene the session again citing that they were not allowed to present their issues in the House.

While the three MLAs claimed that they were "forcefully" evicted by marshalls from the House, Assembly officials denied use of any force against them.

"After sitting for about 11 hours in the Well, we were forcefully removed from the House by the marshals (at around 10.45 pm). Despite Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ajay Chandrakar had assured that no force would be used against us, this action was taken," Jogi told reporters.

"When the government realised that the situation was getting tensed and people from different parts of the state were coming out in our support, we were forcefully evicted," he said.

It is first such instance in Chhattisgarh wherein marshalls were used against MLAs, Jogi claimed.

The government is trying to avoid a discussion over charges of corruption against the chief minister and therefore the monsoon session was concluded hurriedly much ahead of the schedule, he said.

"We will continue our protest and as a part of it, we will gherao the chief minister's residence here on August 11 seeking his answer on several issues," he said.

Meanwhile, a senior Assembly official said Jogi and the other MLAs themselves had asked that they will end their protest if they will be escorted by marshals out of the House.

"Jogi himself had asked that they will come out along with marshals. Although, we had informed them that no force will be used. When Jogi and other MLAs agreed, marshals were called. No force was used in the process," the official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

The Chhattisgarh Assembly's Monsoon Session, which began on August 1, was slated to conclude on August 11 with eight sittings. However, it was ended on Thursday in just three days.