Madhya Pradesh Assembly adjourned after Congress raised slogans seeking debate on women's safety

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Assembly was on Wednesday adjourned for the day due to slogan-shouting by members of the opposition Congress, who demanded discussion on the issue of the state’s “poor records” on women’s safety in the wake of the recent gang-rape incident in Bhopal. [caption id=“attachment_4233565” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. News18[/caption] The House was adjourned three times during the question hour and also at the beginning of the zero hour, before being adjourned for the day by Speaker Sitasharan Sharma amid continued protests by the opposition MLAs. The question hour was washed out due to the commotion. When the proceedings of the house for the day began, senior Congress MLA Ram Nivas Rawat demanded discussion on his adjournment motion over the state’s poor records on women’s safety in the wake of 31 October Bhopal gang-rape incident. Other Congress members also supported the demand for discussion on the adjournment motion. Congress member Govind Singh asked how the state government can ensure women’s safety when the ministers themselves are facing criminal charges. The speaker’s plea to allow the question hour, however, went unheard as the opposition members trooped into the well of the house. He also told the protesting members that he will allow discussion in the house on the issue later. However, the Congress members insisted that time be fixed for it. Amid the slogan shouting, the speaker adjourned the house for ten minutes. After it was reassembled, leader of opposition Ajay Singh demanded that issue of women’s safety is of utmost importance and the speaker should give assurance for discussion on this issue. When the speaker refused to accept the opposition’s demand, Congress members, including Sachin Yadav, Hemant Katare and others trooped into the well of the house and started shouting slogans. The house was again adjourned for ten minutes. The commotion continued when the house was convened for the third time. The speaker however tried to run the question hour, but due to the slogans raised by the Congress MLAs, he adjourned the house till 12 noon. When the proceedings of the house began, the protesting Congress members once again trooped into the well before speaker adjourned the house for the day. Later, the Congress MLAs staged a dharna in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue in the premises of state assembly.