Crying foul: Again, Ghanshyam Tiwari raises question on right to speak

Senior BJP leader and MLA from Sanganer, Ghanshyam Tiwari, on Wednesday, once again raised a question of arrangement in which he expressed his concern of termination of the legislators’ right to speak on Governor’s address, estimates of revenue-expenditure and cut motion.

Over the Tiwari’s question house members indulged in hot discussion followed by which Deputy Speaker gave his ruling.

Raising the question, Tiwari said that whips of ruling party and the opposition decide that which member will speak in the house and these members are called to speak as per the list given to the chair. “This system has put the inner democracy within the parties under threat as there is the possibility that the whip will not include the member with dissent in the list. I urge the chair to make arrangement to protect the rights of each member.”

Though, stating this rule and regulations of parliamentary proceedings, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore said that it was Tiwari’s misunderstanding that his name is not included in the list and he can put his views whenever he wants, but opposition MLAs including Govind Singh Dotasara and independent MLA Hanuman Beniwal supported Tiwari’s point of view.

Rathore also said that there is a rule committee and proposal should be given to the committee if any member wants any change in rules. House also witnessed hot discussion as BJP deputy chief whip Madan Rathore made a comment related to Tiwari’s age.

Putting the discussion at an end, deputy speaker Rao Rajendra Singh, who was chairing the house, said that he has already given the ruling last week that chairperson is not bound to invite anyone on any specific time and it is completely on chair’s discretion whom to call and at what time.