Unusual Proposal in Assam Assembly
In a remarkable development at the Assam Legislative Assembly, Cabinet Minister Bimal Borah made an unconventional suggestion on Friday that could change how suspended legislators are handled. He formally urged Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary to consider establishing a special "detention room" within the assembly complex premises.
The Reason Behind the Proposal
Borah expressed concern that suspended members of the legislative assembly frequently exit the assembly building after their suspension and immediately present their personal interpretation of events to waiting journalists. "Suspended MLAs should not be allowed to leave the assembly premises as they go out and place their version of what transpired in the house," Borah directly addressed the Speaker during the session.
He further elaborated that this dedicated space could be equipped with all necessary facilities to ensure comfort while preventing suspended members from influencing media narratives. This proposal emerged shortly after Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi faced suspension during the important Question Hour for disrupting normal proceedings.
Opposition Leader Suggests Transparency Measures
Simultaneously, Congress leader and opposition figure Debabrata Saikia put forward a complementary recommendation. He proposed that the Speaker's office should release official press statements clearly outlining the specific grounds for any MLA's suspension. This measure aims to prevent potential misinterpretation or confusion about the reasons behind disciplinary actions.
The timing of these suggestions is significant, coming just days after Akhil Gogoi, known for his vocal opposition stance, received a brief suspension on the opening day of the winter session this past Tuesday. That incident occurred when Gogoi entered the well of the house and displayed a poster demanding justice for Zubeen Garg, who recently passed away in Singapore.
Speaker Biswajit Daimary responded to these developments by making a general appeal to all assembly members, requesting them to maintain proper decorum and cooperate in ensuring smooth conduct of legislative proceedings. The proposals now await further consideration and potential implementation.
