Ruckus in Assam Assembly as BJP, Congress Clash

The Assam Assembly on Monday witnessed a ruckus after the ruling party accused Congress MLA Nurul Huda of allegedly attacking Deputy Speaker Numal Momin outside the House, leading to adjournment.

Earlier in the day, Congress legislators had attended the Assembly wearing black attire to protest against BJP MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, who had verbally abused opposition MLAs and reportedly attempted to assault them inside the House during the previous week.

Before the session commenced, the Congress members staged a sit-in protest outside the Speaker’s chamber, demanding disciplinary action against Kurmi.

During the Question Hour, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed the House: “I received a WhatsApp message from Momin stating that he was attacked by Nurul Huda and is now hospitalised. I urge the Speaker to file a police case since the incident took place outside the House, which would allow the police to investigate.”

Interestingly, Momin had been seen attending the session moments before the alleged incident but left the House shortly afterwards. Speaker Biswajit Daimary assured the members that he had instructed officials to look into the matter. 

Reacting to the Chief Minister’s statement, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia called for a House Committee to investigate the alleged attack, arguing that it occurred within the Assembly premises and therefore warranted internal scrutiny rather than police involvement. 

The situation further escalated as opposition members, including those from Congress, AIUDF, and CPI-M, entered the Well of the House, protesting against Kurmi’s behaviour and disputing the ruling party’s claims about the incident involving Momin.

Treasury bench members, led by Sarma, countered the protests, claiming that the opposition had attacked Momin, who belongs to an indigenous tribal community.

“This sets a dangerous precedent. An indigenous tribal has been attacked within the Assembly complex, and this is bound to become a serious issue,” Sarma warned. 

Amid the rising tension and commotion, Speaker Daimary announced that he had asked the Assembly Secretary to verify Momin’s condition and briefly adjourned the House for 10 minutes in an attempt to restore order. 

—IANS