RANCHI: The second day of the Monsoon Session of the Jharkhand Assembly witnessed major uproar, with legislators from both the ruling and opposition benches storming into the Well of the House. While the ruling parties demanded a rollback of the 130th Constitutional Amendment, the opposition raised concerns over the Surya Hansda encounter and the RIMS-II project. Repeated disruptions and walkouts overshadowed the day's proceedings.
As soon as the Question Hour began, BJP legislators stormed into the Well of the House, raising slogans and demanding a CBI probe into the alleged encounter of tribal youth Surya Hansda in Godda. They also opposed the construction of the RIMS-II medical facility on fertile agricultural land in Nagri, Ranchi.
In the midst of the protest, opposition members tore and threw posters into the Well, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the session until 12:30 pm.
Simultaneously, legislators from the ruling JMM, Congress, RJD, and CPI-ML protested against the proposed 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill in Parliament and Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. Both sides raised slogans, paralysing the Question Hour completely.
When the session resumed, Garhwa MLA S.N. Tiwari addressed the House, speaking on the budget cut proposal and raising the Surya Hansda issue. Citing Dishom Guru Shibu Soren as an advocate for tribal rights, he criticised the encounter. In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radhakrishna Kishore said it was improper to compare Shibu Soren to Surya Hansda, who he claimed had a criminal background.
Leader of the Opposition, Babulal Marandi, defended Tiwari’s statement, asserting that Hansda was a political figure. “If that is the comparison, there were also many allegations against Shibu Soren,” Marandi said. He demanded a CBI inquiry into the encounter.
The protest led to another adjournment, this time until 3:30 pm. The commotion continued when the House reassembled. Congress MLA Rameshwar Oraon eventually replied on behalf of the government, even as BJP MLAs staged a walkout in protest.
Undeterred, Oraon completed his statement, after which the Speaker passed the supplementary budget through a voice vote. The House was then adjourned until 11 am on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report, tabled in the Assembly on Monday, revealed a decline in forest land with tree cover and a drop in the wildlife population across Jharkhand. The audit pointed to the lack of safe and undisturbed habitats, insufficient grazing grounds, and minimal action against poaching as reasons for the decline.
Notably, the original Monsoon Session, scheduled from 1 to 7 August, was cut short following the demise of veteran leader Shibu Soren on 4 August. The supplementary session was called to complete pending legislative business, including crucial budget discussions.