Uproar in Haryana Assembly after Congress seeks minister Sandeep Singh's resignation

Haryana Assembly proceedings were adjourned for 30 minutes on Monday amid uproar after the main opposition Congress sought Minister Sandeep Singh's resignation in connection with a sexual harassment case and also a discussion on the Nuh violence.

As the Zero Hour began, Congress members led by Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda were up on their feet demanding Singh's resignation following a charge sheet against him by the Chandigarh Police.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar rejected the opposition's demand seeking Singh's resignation.

While the ruling BJP benches, including Singh, thumped the benches following the chief minister's statement, Congress members rushed to the Well of the House. The Speaker told them that Singh's matter was sub-judice and "no sub-judice matter can be discussed here".

Singh was present in the House.

Hooda said they are demanding that Singh should resign on moral grounds or the chief minister should sack him. As the ruckus continued, the Speaker warned the slogan-shouting Congress members to return to their seats, saying otherwise he would name (suspend) them.

The Chandigarh Police had recently submitted a final report against Singh before a court. A junior athletic coach from Haryana had earlier levelled sexual harassment allegations against the BJP leader.  Later in the House, the Congress members demanded a discussion on the Nuh violence issue. On this too, the Speaker said the matter is sub-judice and pending before the high court.

Hooda said, "Only the matter pertaining to the bulldozer action by the authorities in Nuh recently was pending before the high court".

"The chief minister had recently made a statement on the Nuh incident pointing towards a conspiracy. A discussion here on the issue will make things clear," he said.

Congress leader Kiran Choudhary said that they are raising the law and order matter and it should be discussed.

BJP member Satya Prakash alleged that the foundation of the Nuh violence was laid here in the House when Congress MLA Mamman Khan had allegedly used some inflammatory words.

Amid the ruckus, the House was adjourned for 30 minutes.

After the House reconvened, BJP's Satya Prakash insisted that the Mamman Khan issue be discussed. However, the Speaker kept repeating that the Nuh issue is sub-judice.

Congress MLA B B Batra said if Parliament can discuss the Manipur matter on which the Supreme Court had taken a suo motu cognisance, then why the Nuh matter, barring the "bulldozer action part which is before the high court", cannot be discussed in the Assembly.

Speaker Gian Chand Gupta said the Nuh and Guguram violence was part of the matter before the high court and therefore, it cannot be discussed in the House.

Batra and Hooda, however, insisted the Speaker give his ruling in the matter.

Congress' Kiran Choudhary said the sub-judice matter is only on a specific issue and it is not that the entire law and order matter cannot be discussed. "We want to know whether there was a law and order breakdown," she said.

Hooda said his party has been demanding a high court judge-monitored judicial probe into the Nuh incident, but the government was running away from it.

Amid the ruckus, Home Minister Anil Vij said what happened in Nuh was "very wrong".

"We are a secular nation in which people can practice the religion of their choice. In this context, VHP had taken out a Brij Mandal Yatra," he said.

At this, the Speaker interjected, saying if the state home minister starts giving a reply, then it will mean discussing the entire issue. Vij, however, said he would not make a detailed statement, but limit himself to saying a few things regarding the Nuh incident.

"As per the investigations so far, 500 people have been arrested and the role of people which is coming to the fore, points to the hand of the Congress," Vij said, triggering an immediate reaction from the Congress benches with its MLA raising slogans against the state government.

"Police issued a notice to Congress MLA Mamman Khan asking him to join the investigations in the Nuh incident. In the previous session, Khan had made a statement in the Assembly," Vij added.

As the ruckus continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for a lunch break.

Communal clashes had erupted in Nuh and its adjoining areas after a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by a mob on July 31, leading to the death of six people, including two home guards and a cleric.

Days after the violence, a demolition drive was initiated in Nuh which came under the high court scanner on August 7 with Justice G S Sandhawalia and Justice Harpreet Kaur Jeevan taking suo motu cognisance and halting the exercise.

The high court had asked if the demolition drive was an "exercise of ethnic cleansing".

The Haryana government has defended its demolition drive in Nuh, saying no structure was razed going against the law and the exercise was "not remotely a case of ethnic cleansing".