Gandhinagar, Mar 18 (IANS): The Congress on Thursday walked out of the Gujarat Assembly protesting against the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Earlier, the House was adjourned for a few minutes over the same issue.
During the discussion on the proposals by the Home Department, there was an uproar when Congress MLA from Anklaav Amit Chavda referred to places like Rajkot, Kutiyana, Porbandar, Gondal, Dwarka being controlled by goons, indirectly pointing towards the BJP.
Chavda was retorting to the remarks by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel during Question Hour, who said that during the Congress rule places used to be known for the goons, under the patronage of the then Congress government.
Chavda said, "We all know how cities like Sahera, Kutiyana, Porbandar, Gondal, Dwarka, Rajkot and others are known by and controlled by."
The BJP members, especially Sahera MLA Jethabhai Bharwad, opposed Chavda's remark. Bharwad said, "During the tenure of Madhavsinh Solanki (late former Chief Minister of Gujarat), even illicit things like liquor, gambling etc. were being done without any fear. People like Latif were nurtured."
He asked the Speaker to bring the House to order and repeatedly ordered the Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani to sit down.
The uproar in the House continued despite repeated requests by the Speaker Rajendra Trivedi. The Congress raised slogans regarding the deteriorating law and order situation.
"In the 25-year rule of the BJP, people are living in constant fear. Public money, instead of being spent on welfare schemes, is being utilised by the government for their programmes. There was a time when Gujarat was known as a peaceful state, today it is not. The mothers and daughters of the state are afraid of moving around freely. The law and order situation has failed because of the BJP led administration. Everybody knows that goons are controlling the city of Jamnagar. The voice of the people is not being heard. The land mafias are in power in Saurashtra," Chavda told reporters after staging the walkout.