News Analysis India

Tag: Biswajit Daimary

  • Akhil Gogoi suspended from Assam Assembly for disturbing Governor’s speech

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi was on Monday suspended from Assam Assembly for repeatedly raising the issue of employment to one lakh youths as promised by the BJP government during the address of Governor Jagdish Mukhi on the first day of the Budget session.

    Speaker Biswajit Daimary asked Gogoi to leave the House for the duration of the Governor’s speech.

    Gogoi didn’t leave the House and showed a placard, following which Marshals dragged him outside.

    The Governor continued to read his 38-page speech.

    Mukhi said, “To fulfil one of the key poll promises, the government has set in motion the process to provide one lakh jobs to our youth.”

    He then mentioned several steps being taken by the state government to recruit youths in various posts.

    Apart from the one lakh employment to the youths, Gogoi tried to raise other issues like paddy procurement from farmers, land rights to indigenous people and corruption in water supply scheme while Mukhi was speaking.

    Everytime he sat down after the Speaker had asked him not to disturb the Governor’s speech.

    As soon as the House reassembled after the governor’s address, the speaker revoked the suspension of Gogoi.

  • BJP, Congress slam Akhil Gogoi for making public answer to Assembly query without following rules

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Independent Assam MLA Akhil Gogoi Wednesday drew flak from the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress for making public the answer to a question he had raised even before the days agenda was circulated to the MLAs.

    While addressing the electronic media waiting outside the Assembly before the days proceedings began at 9.30 am, Gogoi shared with them the answer to a starred question related to the Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project at Gerukamukh along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

    Governments replies to questions are made available to the legislator concerned the night before the order paper listing the days business is circulated among the members.

    As soon as the House assembled for the day, BJP MLA Manab Deka drew the attention of Speaker Biswajit Daimary to the matter.

    This led to a noisy scene with all MLAs of the ruling party slamming Gogoi, and the Speaker announced that answers to queries raised during the Question Hour will no longer be made available the night before.

    Gogoi was heard saying “Will only BJP MLAs speak in the Assembly? Is it not a House for opposition MLAs?” After the end of the Question Hour, Deka again raised the issue and sought privilege motion against the Sibsagar MLA, leading to a noisy scene.

    Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said answers to questions raised in the House cannot be made public in this manner.

    “If a member has made it public, it is a breach of privilege. The process of hijacking the House, I think, should not be encouraged,” Sarma said.

    He also requested the Speaker to issue instructions to the media not to publish anything that is against Assembly rules.

    Meanwhile, Gogoi tried to clarify his stand, but the Speaker did not allow him amidst the noise and tried to move on to the next agenda.

    On this, Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said: “I thought you (Speaker) would take some action.”

    The Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia said the allegation of one MLA against another should be taken seriously.

    Congress MLA Rakibul Hussain said, “All of us should follow the rules of the Assembly.”

    At this point, BJP MLA Jayanta Malla Baruah uttered an unparliamentary word about Gogoi, who objected to it immediately.

    The Speaker later expunged the word from the proceedings of the House.

    “We all have to follow the rules. We took an oath of secrecy,” Daimary said.

  • Assam opposition leaders jointly write to Governor, Speaker against CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Leaders of various opposition parties of Assam on Saturday came together to submit joint memoranda to Governor Jagdish Mukhi and assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary against certain remarks of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that allegedly belittled opposition MLAs.

    Terming the statements of the chief minister as “undemocratic and unconstitutional”, senior opposition leaders urged the Governor and the Speaker to advise Sarma, who has taken oath to protect the Constitution, to refrain from making such statements in future.

    “The remarks made by the Chief Minister which tries to demean the Constitutional roles and duties of the Opposition is in very bad taste and we feel that such behaviour is intolerable and unbecoming part of a Chief Minister who has taken oath under you to protect and preserve and safeguard the Indian Constitution,” they said in the memorandum to the governor.

    They were reacting to Sarma’s statement in the assembly on June 19 asking all opposition members to join the ruling BJP after a senior Congress MLA’s defection to the saffron party.

    They also objected to the chief minister’s July 6 comment at a programme in Barpeta district that MLAs do not have any power other than framing laws and it is the duty of the ministers to implement the legislation.

    “These remarks of the Chief Minister are undemocratic, unconstitutional and in violation of the provision of Indian Constitution,” the memorandum said.

    The memorandum was signed by Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, his deputy Rakibul Hussain, Congress chief whip Wazed Ali Choudhury and MLA Bharat Narah, AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam, CPI(M) MLA Monoranjan Talukdar and Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi of Raijor Dal.

    Pointing out that the role of each organ in a democracy, including the MLAs and the opposition, is well defined, they said, “…the CM’s statement that an MLA has no work outside assembly is concocted, self-manufactured and baseless only with a view to dissuade Govt officials from listening to Opposition MLAs.”

    The opposition leaders submitted another similar memorandum to Speaker Daimary.

    “Sir, the Leader of the Assembly has belittled the members of the Opposition Bench on more than one occasion and this is a very unconstitutional, undemocratic way of behaviour of a person who has taken Oath as member of the House to uphold the dignity of the House,” the memorandum to the Speaker read.

    The Opposition leaders urged Daimary to advise the chief minister not to make such remarks that try to dilute the role and responsibility of an important part of democracy.

    The opposition parties had earlier separately criticised the chief minister for making those comments.

  • Akhil Gogoi manhandled by security staff at assembly, Assam Speaker to raise issue with officials

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Assam assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary on Friday said that he will raise with authorities concerned the issue of alleged manhandling of anti-CAA activist and MLA Akhil Gogoi by security personnel inside the assembly complex.

    Besides Gogoi himself, the opposition Congress and AIUDF raised the alleged manhandling of the Independent MLA when he was brought to the assembly complex by jail authorities for the oath-taking ceremony on the first day of the three-day session.

    He has been arrested on terror and sedition charges after leading a movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

    He is currently in judicial custody.

    When Gogoi arrived in a heavily escorted bus from the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where he is undergoing treatment, he was seen pushed by security personnel when the MLA tried to speak to the media outside the gate.

    The security personnel were seen pushing and dragging him again when he was about to step inside the House.

    “How can the police behave to an MLA this way? In this pandemic time, 20 policemen came with Gogoi and then pushed and dragged him inside the Assembly building. I request you (Speaker) to take note of this,” Congress MLA Bharat Narah said inside the House.

    AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam also demanded “an action” from the Speaker for dragging the jailed leader “in front of a magistrate” coming in the bus.

    Reacting to these, Daimary said, “The House cannot do anything as it took place outside. However, I will raise the issue with the authorities concerned.”

    Earlier outside the House, Gogoi protested against the behaviour of the security personnel claiming that it is “an attempt to silence his voice”.

    “I am an MLA of this Assembly. How can you push and drag an MLA like an animal? This is an insult to the Assamese people and the people of Sibsagar (Gogoi’s constituency). No one can silence my voice,” he shouted while being pushed inside the House.

    After taking oath, Gogoi raised the issue inside the House and, according to him, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma directed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika to look into the matter.

    On May 11, a Special NIA Court permitted Gogoi to attend the first day of the 15th Assam Legislative Assembly to take oath as a legislator.

    Raising the issue of permission granted by the court, Gogoi requested the Speaker to write to the authorities concerned for allowing him to attend the remaining two days of the session.

    “I got the Assembly schedule late, so could not inform the court. There is precedence in the country. The Delhi Assembly Speaker had written for allowing a convicted BJP MLA to attend the House. So, you can also do it,” he told Daimary.

    The Congress also supported the request and its MLA Narah urged the Speaker to write to the administration to do the needful.

    “We want you to write to the chief secretary and the DGP saying that he is an MLA and you want him in every session,” he added.

    The Congress MLA also demanded immediate release of Gogoi in view of the COVID-19 pandemic across the state.

    Daimary said that he will consult with officials concerned and will intimate Gogoi accordingly.

    Gogoi, the chief of the newly formed Raijor Dal who defeated the BJP’s Surabhi Rajkonwari from the Sibsagar constituency, is the first Assamese to win an election from behind the bars without any physical campaigning.

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested Gogoi in December 2019 for his alleged role in violent anti- Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests across the state.

    He was last year admitted at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for treating COVID-19 and he remains there for other ailments.

    On April 14, the Gauhati High Court upheld the bail order of Gogoi by a Special NIA Court by dismissing an appeal by the NIA and said that any act aimed at creating civil disturbance would not come within the purview of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 unless committed with the requisite intention.

    Gogoi is still in judicial custody as his bail prayer was rejected in another case related to anti-CAA violence and is being investigated by the NIA.

  • BJP MLA Biswajit Daimary files nomination for Assam Speaker’s post 

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: BJP MLA Biswajit Daimary on Thursday submitted his nomination paper for the post of the Speaker of the Assam assembly.

    Saffron party legislator Numal Momin will submit his papers for the Deputy Speaker’s post.

    Daimary filed his nomination in presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass.

    Earlier in the day, the BJP in a meeting chose Daimary to be the next Speaker and Momin as the Deputy Speaker for the 15th Assam legislative assembly, the first session of which will begin from Friday.

    In February, Daimary was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha after he switched sides to the BJP from the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF).

    He contested the assembly polls from the Panery constituency and won by a margin of 35,852 votes.

    BJP MLA Momin was elected to the assembly for the second consecutive time from the Bokajan seat.

    On Wednesday, former minister and eight-time AGP MLA Phani Bhushan Choudhury was sworn in as the pro tem speaker of the 15th Assam Legislative Assembly.

    In the 126-member Assembly, the BJP-led NDA secured 75 seats.

    The Congress-led Grand Alliance bagged 50 seats and one was won by an Independent.

  •  BJP names former BPF member its Rajya Sabha candidate from Assam

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday named Biswajit Daimary, who had joined it after quitting his Rajya Sabha seat as a Bodoland People’s Front MP, as its candidate for the by-election to the Upper House from Assam.

    Daimary has been thrice elected to the House since 2008 and had quit soon after his re-election in 2020 as strains emerged in the BJP-BPF ties, and he preferred to join the saffron party.

    The election had been necessitated due to his resignation.

    His win is near certain as the BJP enjoys a majority in the state assembly.

    The BJP also named N Ramchander Rao and Gujjula Premender Reddy its candidates for MLC elections from two graduates’ constituencies in Telangana.