Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly witnessed intense procedural debates on Monday as Chief Minister Mohan Yadav moved the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Sankalp’ resolution.
The day-long special session began with the Speaker inviting the Chief Minister to present the resolution, which seeks to grant one-third reservation to women in both the Parliament and all state Legislative Assemblies. However, the proceedings were immediately met with friction when the Leader of Opposition, Umang Singhar, attempted to raise a Point of Order.
This prompted a sharp remark from the Chief Minister, who questioned the grounds of the Point of Order given that he had not yet begun his address.
The Speaker maintained that any opportunity for discussion would only be granted after the formal presentation of the resolution.
As the debate continued, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar raised concerns regarding the treatment of a private member’s resolution on the same subject. He argued that the opposition had submitted their resolution earlier and that, under parliamentary rules, it should have been prioritised for discussion.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya countered this by stating that priority is traditionally given to the resolution submitted first, while the Speaker clarified that once a government resolution is introduced, no other private member resolution on the same topic can be entertained.
The Speaker further noted that while amendments to the Chief Minister’s resolution would be accepted, the independent private resolution stood rejected according to long-standing procedural provisions.
The opposition remained unsatisfied with these clarifications, asserting that their resolution was distinct because it specifically questioned the timeline for the delimitation process and the exact date when the reservation would take effect.
Umang Singhar argued that the ruling from the Chair did not serve the interests of women due to the lack of clarity regarding the delimitation exercise.
In a display of protest against the rejection of their private member resolution and the perceived delay in implementation, the Leader of Opposition led a walkout from the House.
Adding to the critique, Congress MLA and former Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh questioned why the government was linking the reservation to the completion of a delimitation process. He argued that if the government were truly committed to the cause, the quota could be implemented based on the current number of seats.
Singh expressed frustration that, despite a special session being convened for this purpose, the government appeared to be using delimitation as a pretext to postpone the actual granting of seats to women.
The session highlighted a significant divide between the treasury and opposition benches over the methodology and timing of women’s empowerment in the legislative sphere.
(IANS)
