Ranchi, Feb 28 (IANS): The Jharkhand assembly on Friday witnessed noisy scenes by BJP legislators who protested against the Speaker's decision not to accord the leader of Opposition status to Babulal Marandi.

Marandi joined BJP on February 17 and he was elected as the legislature party leader. The BJP is the second largest party with 26 legislators in the 82-member Assembly. The party was expecting that Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto will accord Marandi the leader of Opposition status.

The Speaker has put the decision on hold as the two MLAs of JVM-P, a party formerly headed by Marandi, joined Congress and claimed merger of the party with Congress. Marandi had expelled two of its legislators and later passed a resolution on merging the JVM-P with the BJP.

The budget session of the Assembly began on Friday. On the first day, Babulal Marandi was made to sit alongside AJSU supremo Sudesh Kumar Mahto over which the BJP MLAs created an uproar.

Amid slogan-shouting by opposition legislators, Speaker Ravindranath Mahto read his inaugural speech and adjourned the House till Monday 11 a.m. after paying tributes to the people who had passed away between the two sessions.

When the House reassembled at 11 am, the BJP legislators came into the well of the House demanding that Babulal Marandi be accorded the status of leader of opposition. BJP legislator Biranchi Narayan claimed that if Marandi does not get the chair of leader of opposition, then they would not allow the House to function.

Later the House paid tributes to those who died in Delhi violence and over the killing of seven tribals at Chaibasa.