JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Assembly turned into a battleground during Question Hour as a huge controversy erupted over a remark regarding former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on Friday. Heated exchanges led to multiple disruptions, forcing the House to be adjourned three times. The controversy stemmed from Social Justice Minister Avinash Gehlot’s statement during a discussion, where he remarked, “As always, you named this scheme after your ‘Dadi’ (grandmother) Indira Gandhi, in the last budget of 2023-24.” In reply to a question by Congress MLA Rafeeq Khan, the minister quipped, “Under previous Congress regimes schemes were launched in the name of your (Opposition’s) Dadi (Grandma) Indira Gandhi. What was the fate (status) of those schemes?”This comment triggered a sharp reaction from the opposition, with Leader of Opposition Tikaram Juli condemning it, asserting, “Indira Gandhi was a former Prime Minister; such language is unacceptable.”Strong protests from the Opposition benches, led by the Congress state chief Govind Singh Dotasara, saw opposition MLAs trooping into the well raising slogans against the Minister’s utterance and demanding an apology from the latter. Dotasara retorted “What Dadi? Is it the decorum of the House to use such language?”Amid intense protests, Congress MLAs stormed into the well of the House, prompting disciplinary action. Following a proposal by Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg, Speaker Vasudev Devnani approved the suspension of six opposition members, including Congress State President Dotasara, Deputy Leader of Opposition Ramkesh Meena, and MLAs Amin Kagzi, Zakir Hussain Gesavat, Hakam Ali Khan, and Sanjay Kumar, for the remainder of the budget session.
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