Protests, Demo Prohibited in MP Assembly, Congress Calls it Authoritarian
The directive, issued under Standing Order 94 (2), bans symbolic displays, including masks, props, placards, horns and even gestures in the Assembly, terming it ‘disruptive’.
Bhopal: A directive by the speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Narendra Singh Tomarbanning protests, slogan-shouting, and symbolic demonstrations in the House ahead of the ensuing monsoon session, commencing on Monday, has triggered a political storm here with the Opposition Congress terming it ‘authoritarian’.
The directive, issued under Standing Order 94 (2), bans symbolic displays, including masks, props, placards, horns and even gestures in the Assembly, terming it ‘disruptive’.
The move comes in the wake of the Opposition taking recourse to all kinds of symbolic protests such as wearing black masks symbolizing government secrecy, displaying fake snakes to highlight unemployment problem and skeleton costumes to expose alleged corruption in the last Assembly session.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Umang Singhar has taken strong exception to the order terming it ‘authoritarian and murder of democracy’.
‘The government is neither giving permission for the proceedings to be broadcast live, nor allowing protests. Now, the slogan-shouting is even banned’, Mr. Singhar said.
The Assembly principal secretary A P Singh has however said the objective of the order is to maintain decorum and ensure healthy debates by the members in the House.
BLP MLA Rameshwar Sharma has backed the order, saying that the House is for holding healthy debates by the members, not for creating chaos.
“The House is not a theatre”, he said.