Raipur, Dec 18: The Chhattisgarh unit of the Congress on Wednesday staged protests both inside and outside the State Assembly, alleging that central and State investigative agencies were being misused to intimidate and suppress the Opposition.
The protests followed a court’s dismissal of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) charge sheet in the National Herald case. Congress workers demonstrated outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office, claiming the verdict had exposed what they described as the political misuse of probe agencies by the ruling party.
Inside the Assembly, Congress legislators disrupted Question Hour by entering the House wearing clothes bearing placards with the slogan “Satyamev Jayate.” As members raised slogans accusing the government of weaponising investigative agencies, the treasury benches objected strongly. Speaker Raman Singh ruled that the display of posters and banners inside the House violated parliamentary norms and directed the members to remove them before participating in proceedings.
Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel shared a video of Congress MLAs in the Assembly on social media platform X, stating that the party would continue its struggle “against every force and oppression.” He alleged that the BJP had spent a decade attempting to tarnish the image of the Congress leadership by misusing agencies, and claimed the court had clearly stated that no money laundering case was made out against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or any other individual in the National Herald matter
The situation escalated as Congress members refused to comply with the Speaker’s directions, leading to repeated disruptions. BJP MLA Chandrakar questioned under which rules the Congress members were permitted to enter the House wearing posters. With the Opposition remaining defiant, the Assembly was adjourned three times.
Later in the day, the House witnessed further turmoil when Congress members entered the well during proceedings, resulting in the automatic suspension of 34 Congress MLAs for breach of decorum. The suspension was revoked by the Speaker a few minutes later, but proceedings continued to be marked by heated exchanges and slogan-shouting from both sides, with Congress members chanting “Satyamev Jayate” and BJP legislators responding with “Vande Mataram.”
The Congress also moved an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the functioning of agencies such as the ED and the State’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW). During Zero Hour, Mr. Baghel alleged that democracy was under threat and claimed that witness statements were being fabricated in agency offices before being produced in court. He further alleged that recent actions against Congress leaders, including the arrest of his son in a liquor scam case, were politically motivated.
Rejecting the adjournment motion, Speaker Raman Singh said disruptions during Question Hour were inappropriate, as the time was meant for discussions on issues related to public interest.
