Congress Legislators Stage Boycott in Haryana Assembly Over Alleged Rule Violation
In a significant development in the Haryana legislative assembly on Thursday, Congress MLAs staged a boycott of a motion listed under Rule 84. The legislators alleged that the proposal originally placed on the agenda had been substantially altered and reintroduced in a changed form, specifically on the subject of increasing the employment guarantee from 100 days to 125 days.
Allegations of Procedural Irregularities
Deputy leader of the Congress Legislative Party, Aftab Ahmed, and chief whip Bharat Bhushan Batra issued a joint statement explaining their position. They asserted that the motion presented before the House bore little resemblance to the one circulated earlier, which prompted Congress legislators to stage a boycott at the time of its introduction.
According to the Congress leaders, the revised motion not only shifted focus to extending the employment guarantee but also mentioned confusion among the public and rural labourers over provisions of the so-called VB GRAMG Yojana. They argued that a motion under Rule 84 cannot be fundamentally altered, and that such changes violate the interpretation of rules governing House proceedings.
The leaders emphasized that if a proposal is not maintainable under the rules, discussion on it is also legally impermissible. They stressed that the boycott was not an attempt to evade debate but a step taken to uphold legislative procedure and the dignity of the Business Rule Book.
Congress's Willingness to Debate MGNREGA
The Congress leaders clarified that their party had no objection to discussing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, or the GRAMG Act. They stated that Congress was prepared to debate the issue even on Thursday—provided it was taken up under proper rules or during the motion of thanks on the governor's address.
They added that MGNREGA, which was unanimously passed by both Houses of Parliament in 2005, remains a historic and welfare-oriented law. Any attempt by the BJP to dilute it or introduce a new law to remove Mahatma Gandhi's name, they said, goes against democratic values. The manner in which the BJP sought to hold the discussion, they alleged, was against the rules, unconstitutional and illegal.
Commitment to Democratic Norms
Aftab Ahmed and Batra reiterated that the Congress remains committed to safeguarding democratic norms, constitutional values and the dignity of the House. They affirmed that the party would continue to raise issues of public interest strictly within the framework of legislative rules.
The boycott highlights ongoing tensions in the Haryana assembly regarding legislative procedures and the implementation of welfare schemes like MGNREGA. The Congress's stance underscores their determination to ensure that parliamentary rules are followed meticulously, even as they remain open to substantive discussions on employment guarantees and rural development.
