Guwahati, March 30: On March 30, 2023, the Assam Congress filed a complaint against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for breach of privilege in the state Assembly. The complaint was made in response to a remark made by Sarma during a debate on the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha.
The Congress Legislature Party filed the complaint with the Principal Secretary of the Assam Assembly, alleging that Sarma had made a false statement. They claimed that the Chief Minister had said he was aware of the discussion held in the ACLP (Assam Congress Legislature Party) room, and that a member of the ACLP had informed him about the decision taken in the CLP meeting held on March 28, 2023. Congress alleged that this statement was false, and therefore a breach of privilege.
The Congress demanded an apology from the Chief Minister instead of a mere withdrawal of the statement.
However, Sarma withdrew the comments he made inside the House. Despite this, Congress did not withdraw the privilege notice and urged the principal secretary to take further action according to the law.
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Earlier in the day, the Assam Assembly witnessed a ruckus when the Congress introduced an Adjournment Motion to discuss Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha following a court verdict. The Leader of the Opposition, Debabrata Saikia, introduced the notice and said that they wanted to send a resolution to the President of India requesting her to uphold the Constitution.
In response to the motion, Sarma said that it was unprecedented that opinions on a judicial matter were being expressed in the Assembly. He also claimed that he knew that a decision was taken by the Congress Legislature Party the previous night to create noise in the Assembly. Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Rakibul Hussain, objected to this statement.
Sarma later withdrew the portion of his claim that someone from the opposition party had informed him of their plans on Tuesday night. However, Congress still demanded an apology from him.
The high drama in the Assembly forced Speaker Biswajit Daimary to adjourn the House twice and suspend two Congress MLAs and an Independent legislator for the entire day.
Assam Congress has filed a privilege notice against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for breach of privilege in the state Assembly. The incident occurred during a debate on the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha, and the Congress demanded an apology from the Chief Minister.
Despite Sarma withdrawing his comments, Congress has not withdrawn the privilege notice and has urged the principal secretary to take further action. The incident caused a ruckus in the Assembly, leading to the suspension of two Congress MLAs and an Independent legislator for the entire day.
