Patna: The month-long budget session of the
Bihar assembly beginning tomorrow is likely to be stormy with
the opposition determined to corner the government on several
fronts, including Speaker Udai Narayan Choudhry`s efforts to
muster support for JD(U) by organising a Mahadalit rally.
The Speaker is the chief organiser of today`s Mahadalit
rally and he toured the state to muster support for the rally,
senior RJD leader and deputy leader of the opposition in the
Assembly, Shakeel Ahmed Khan said.
"The Speaker`s conduct in the matter is highly
reprehensible and in stark contrast to the high standards of
propriety set by former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee,"
Khan said.
He said the strategy to highlight, what he termed as the
"unbecoming conduct" of the speaker, would be finalised during
a meeting of leaders of various parties to discuss floor
coordination tomorrow.
Maheswar Singh, the leader of LJP legislature party, said
his party would press for resignation of the speaker on the
issue.
The Congress Legislature Party leader Ashok Ram, also a
dalit leader, said his party too had taken serious note of the
speaker`s role in organising the Mahadalit rally to muster
support for the ruling JD(U) during the upcoming assembly
elections.
RJD state chief Abdul Bari Sidiqui said that apart from
the speaker`s role in organising the Mahadalit rally, the
party would also forcefully raise the misuse of funds by the
NDA government.
The other issues on the opposition`s agenda are excise
controversy, state government`s failure to rein in coaching
institutes, Supaul firing and killing of 12 innocent people by
Maoists in Jamui district with state police machinery
remaining a mute spectator, Siddqui said.
The chief whip of JD(U) Shrawan Kumar said the government
was prepared to give point by point reply to opposition
charges.
The Rs 500 crore excise scam as alleged by the sacked
excise minister Jamshed Ashraf seeking a CBI probe into his
allegation had already been investigated by the officials.
"We are not afraid of opposition charge and will give
detailed reply to their charges," the JD(U) chief whip said.
PTI
