JD(U)'s Maheshwar Hazari elected deputy speaker of Bihar assembly amid opposition boycott
Patna, Mar 24: Senior JD(U) leader Maheshwar Hazari was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Bihar legislative assembly on Wednesday amid boycott of the house by opposition protesting use of force against their members when they were holding agitation against a Bill concerning the police department the previous day.
Hazari was elected deputy speaker by voice vote in the absence of opposition members in the house.
The opposition RJD, Congress, CPI-ML, CPI and CPI(M) kept away from the house and instead held a parallel session outside in the assembly premises after choosing RJD's Bhudeo Chuadhary their spealer.
Bhudeo Chaudhary had filed nomination for the deputy speaker post, but neither he nor the opposition MLAs participated in the election.
The Grand Alliance members are protesting against Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021, which the Nitish Kumar government has introduced in a bid to give its police more teeth, deemed necessary in view of the increasingly complex security needs of the state which has been witnessing rapid economic growth.
The chief minister congratulated Hazari upon getting elected as deputy speaker and flayed the opposition for "demeaning the democracy" through their unparliamentary acts.
Kumar said the opposition ran away from the election knowing very well that they will be defeated in the contest and indulged in "undemocratic" action outside.
"What will they gain by doing all this?" he asked.
The chief minister stressed on the need for the new police bill and said had the opposition raised their objections in a proper manner in the house, the government would have cleared their doubts point-by-point.
The bill was passed by the assembly Tuesday.
Hazari secured 124 votes in the 243-member Bihar house.
With the BJP winning larger number of seats within NDA in the recently concluded Bihar polls, the ruling coalition has gone for a role reversal this time with saffron party's Vijay Sinha becoming speaker and the post of deputy speaker going to the JD(U).
Last time, when Kumar's party was in the commanding position, JD(U)'s Vijay Chaudhary was the speaker and Amrendra Pratap Singh of the BJP his deputy.
The Bihar assembly had witnessed an unprecedented chaos Tuesday when police was called to assist the marshals in evicting unruly opposition members who tried to physically prevent the speaker from taking his chair.
The opposition have termed the bill a "black" legislation, taking strong exception to provisions that empower the Special Armed Police, previously known as the Bihar Military Police, to conduct searches and arrests without producing a warrant.
Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav and his MLA brother Tej Pratap Yadav had hit the streets here Tuesday against the bill.
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Speaker UT Khader attends local cricket tournament during Bhatkal visit
Bhatkal: Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly U. T. Khader visited Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district on Saturday and attended a local cricket match being played as part of a tournament organised by the Cosmos Sports Centre of Bhatkal.
After attending a programme at Anjuman Hami-E-Muslimeen, Khader proceeded to the Bhatkal Taluka Stadium, where the tournament is underway. He was accompanied by office-bearers of the Cosmos Sports Centre and several local community leaders.
Those present during the visit included President of Majlis-e-Islah Wa Tanzeem and former JD(S) leader Inayathullah Shabandri, Vice President of Tanzeem Atiqur Rahman Muniri, General Secretary Abdul Raqeeb MJ, President of Cosmos Sports Centre Ismail Anjum, Managing Director of Mohtisham Complexes S. M. Arshad, former president of the Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation Imtiyaz Udyawar, among others.
Addressing players and organisers, Khader extended his best wishes to the participating teams and urged the players to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship. He said such tournaments help promote unity and brotherhood among the youth.
The cricket tournament began on November 21 and will conclude with the final match on December 21. It is being organised as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Cosmos Sports Centre.
Cosmos Sports Centre is one of the member clubs of the Bhatkal Muslim Youth Federation and is known for its active role in promoting sports in the town. Apart from sporting activities, the centre is also involved in various social and community initiatives, including efforts to promote education among students.
