Giving
a go by to the normal practice of starting the opening day of the legislature
session at 11 am, the current monsoon session was convened at 9:45 am.
As soon
as the House assembled, several opposition members sought to know the
reason behind the early timing. “Are astrologers running the House?”
they asked.
They charged
the government of succumbing to superstitious beliefs. Leader of the
Opposition Dharam Singh said it was unprecedented that House had been
convened at such an “odd hour”. “I have been a member of this
House since 1972, never before has the protocol of starting the House
at 11 am on the opening day been violated”, he said. Speaker Krishna
too had to face criticism.
While
Krishna said he had no role in fixing the time, Home Minister M P Prakash
said the time was fixed by the Cabinet and approved by Governor.
However,
the members did not buy the argument, legislator Vatal Nagaraj even
staged a walkout!
The issue
was raised in the Legislative Council as well. When the session began
at 9.45 am members of the Cong alleged that the government fixed time
for the session by taking suggestions from astrologers.
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