Jaipur, February 17 The Rajasthan Assembly was adjourned twice on Tuesday following a heated verbal exchange between MLAs of the ruling party and the opposition Congress over the issue of cow slaughter.
During Question Hour, BJP MLA Balmukundacharya raised the issue of illegal transportation and slaughtering of cattle, and asked the government whether it intended to give cows the status of "Gaumata" as given by some other states.
Responding to the question, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Gopalan, Joraram Kumawat, said that the state government would study the rules and regulations under which other states have given the status of "Gaumata".
He said that there is a strict law in the state under which cases are being registered against those involved in illegal transportation and slaughtering of cattle.
To this, Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully replied that it was a serious issue. Stating that several cows were recently slaughtered at Hingonia Gaushala in Jaipur, he said that a BJP worker's name was involved and that the BJP MLAs were making efforts to protect him.
"The state government should make its stand clear on the issue and what action will be taken," Jully said, accusing the government of not clarifying whether it would give cows the status of "Gaumata".
This led to a verbal exchange between leaders of both the parties.
As the Congress legislators prepared to raise placards, Speaker Vasudev Devnani objected to it. He said that it was a well-planned strategy to disrupt the House proceedings and that he would not allow it.
Devnani objected to the conduct of ruling party MLAs and asked them to sit in their chairs. He also asked the ruling party's Chief Whip to intervene.
Amid continuous disruption, the Speaker adjourned the House for 20 minutes.
However, as soon as the Zero Hour began, the Opposition Congress' MLAs entered the well of the House and shouted slogans, following which chairperson Sandeep Sharma adjourned the House again for 30 minutes.
