Jaipur, Sep 3 The Rajasthan Assembly was adjourned till 2 p.m. on Wednesday after witnessing uproar during Question Hour when BJP MLAs came into the well as the Congress MLAs were protesting alleged irregularities in the state’s smart meter installation scheme.
Shouting slogans against the government, the opposition members staged a walkout from the House.
The issue was raised by Congress MLA Rohit Bohra, who questioned the process of awarding tenders for the scheme.
Responding to this, Minister of State for Energy Hiralal Nagar said the decision to install smart meters was taken by the previous Congress government. He clarified that the tender process was conducted as per rules, adding that contracts cannot be awarded to any blacklisted firm.
Minister Nagar further pointed out that the Union government has left it to the states to decide whether to implement smart meters. He said the Congress government had approved the project in 2023 through a cabinet circular, without convening a formal cabinet meeting.
The House also saw heated exchanges during a question raised by Congress MLA Dungar Ram Gedar regarding "poisonous" water flowing from Punjab into Rajasthan’s canals.
When Gedar complained that parts of his query remained unanswered, Speaker Vasudev Devnani said it was his prerogative and the matter would be discussed later. As the MLA pressed the issue further, the Government Chief Whip objected, stating that the Speaker’s decision could not be challenged on the floor of the House.
Earlier, Congress MLAs paid floral tribute in the Assembly premises to children who recently died in a school building collapse in Jhalawar.
Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully said, "Tributes were not paid inside the Vidhan Sabha, but we are paying our respects here.”
The opposition has signalled that it will continue to corner the government on issues of governance, accountability, and transparency throughout the Monsoon Session, which began on Monday.
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