Rajula shut down over local MLA’s suspension

All commercial establishments remained shut in Rajula, a town of 1.5 lakh people in Amreli district, as it observed a bandh on Saturday in support of suspended Congress MLA Amrish Der. 

The local unit of the Congress party and the local association of traders and merchants had sounded the bandh call for Rajula earlier.

They demanded that Der’s suspension be revoked, along with that of the other two MLAs of the Opposition, who were suspended by the Gujarat Assembly speaker following a ruckus in the House. 

The traders and the Congress unit also submitted a memorandum before the deputy collector, and appealed to the Speaker for revocation of their suspension.

The memorandum read, “The Speaker should revoke the suspension of Amrish Der as the issues of Rajula constituency cannot be raised in the Assembly if he is suspended and that will be a punishment to the voters.” 

They further said that for the sake of democracy, the suspension should be revoked so their elected representative could work for their welfare.

Der was suspended by the Speaker of Gujarat assembly for indulging in actions that allegedly led to a body blow to another member of the House and using abusive language in the Assembly on Wednesday. 

After the incident, violent protests had broken out in Rajula and roads were blocked by the locals in support to Der. 

The farmers from this region had given a warning that if the suspension was not revoked, they would ‘gherao’ teh Assembly in the near future.

The Rajula Chamber of Commerce and Industries, and Rajula town and taluka Congress unit had announced the bandh.