Chhattisgarh assembly witnesses stormy debate over no-confidence motion; BJP, Cong trade charges

Raipur, Jul 17 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh legislative assembly on Friday witnessed a stormy debate over the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress against the Vishnu Deo Sai-led BJP government in the state, with both sides trading allegations over governance, corruption, law and order, and tribal welfare. When Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma was speaking against the motion, a heated exchange of words broke out between opposition and treasury bench members, leading to uproar in the House. Amid the pandemonium, the Chair adjourned the proceedings for five minutes. The debate on the motion began post noon, during which the opposition party tabled a 136-point "chargesheet" highlighting the ruling dispensation's "failures". The debate was taken up on the final day of the five-day monsoon session, and is expected to continue till late night. Opening the discussion, Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant alleged that the BJP government had failed on multiple fronts and "betrayed" farmers, tribals, youth and women. He said the government has completed 135 weeks in office and entered its 136th week, and therefore the opposition had prepared a 136-point "chargesheet" detailing its alleged failures. "This is a documented account of how the three crore people of Chhattisgarh have been let down," he said, alleging that every week of the BJP government's tenure had witnessed "new conspiracies" against farmers, tribals, youth and women. Mahant targeted the government over Hasdeo Arand forest in north Chhattisgarh, accusing it of facilitating tree felling and coal mining in the ecologically-sensitive region. Referring to a resolution unanimously passed by the assembly in July 2022 seeking cancellation of coal blocks in Hasdeo Arand, he alleged that action to allow mining had begun even before the incumbent CM assumed office (after his party won the elections). Calling Hasdeo Arand the "lungs of central India", Mahant claimed the government had allowed mining over 91 hectares in the Hasdeo Arand forest to Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited on December 11, and had effectively "issued a death warrant" for around 15,000 trees. He termed the move "an attack on the sovereignty of Chhattisgarh" and alleged that the state was allowing its forests to be destroyed at the behest of industrialists from Delhi and Rajasthan. "You are cutting your own roots to build someone else's palace. Allowing the destruction of Chhattisgarh's forests at the behest of outside industrialists is an insult to the state. I strongly condemn the manner in which these permissions were granted," he said. Referring to Lord Ram, Mahant said the BJP often described him as Chhattisgarh's "bhanja" (nephew), but had failed to protect the forests linked to his journey. "Instead, you have handed them over to your friends and industrialists. Today, one industrialist virtually dominates Chhattisgarh. We are paying the price through increasing human-elephant conflict," he alleged. The Congress leader also raised issues of law and order, alleging rising crimes against women and deterioration in public safety. Citing an alleged gangrape and murder case in Koriya district, he claimed that women were unsafe under the BJP government. Around two lakh farmers could not sell paddy during the previous kharif procurement season, he claimed. The Congress leader also targeted the government over implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), alleged illegal sand mining, land acquisition in tribal areas, alleged tree felling in Abujhmad, alleged corruption worth Rs 500 crore in the Bharatmala road projects and the excise department. Before the debate began, senior BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar said it was for the first time in the state's history that the Leader of Opposition was initiating a debate on a no-confidence motion, suggesting it reflected a lack of confidence in his own party legislators. Speaker Raman Singh urged members to maintain parliamentary decorum and avoid personal allegations. Chandrakar accused the previous Congress government in the state of corruption and policy failures, alleging irregularities in recruitment, the Bharatmala land acquisition process, power tariff waivers granted to industries, the liquor policy and the state's socio-economic survey. He also questioned the Congress over "unfulfilled" promises, including liquor prohibition and housing construction. Supporting the motion, senior Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma alleged that tribals continued to struggle for their rights despite the state having a tribal chief minister. Deputy CM Vijay Sharma hit back at the Congress, alleging that the previous government was involved in several scams, including the excise and coal scams, and claimed the Sai government had taken steps to improve governance. He also said the current government ordered an investigation into the alleged CGPSC recruitment scam that took place during the previous Congress regime. A heated exchange erupted after Sharma referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his speech, prompting protests from opposition members. Congress MLA Devendra Yadav sought proof of Sharma's claims, while the ruling side members objected to his body language. Amid the uproar, the Chair adjourned the House for five minutes before the debate resumed. His party colleague Raghvendra Singh pointed to the BJP members' repeated references to the previous Congress government, and said that there was a sense of "chronoportation" or time travel, where the ruling party was trying to divert the current issues by discussing the past. PTI TKP NP