Opposition parties, including Congress and RJD, condemn attack on legislators in Bihar assembly
Mar 24, 2021
New Delhi [India], March 24 : The Opposition parties on Wednesday condemned the attack on MLAs in the Bihar assembly during the passage of the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021.
The parties, which condemned Tuesday evening's incident, included Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Trinamool Congress, and Shiv Sena.
In a joint statement, the parties stated: "This is an unconstitutional bill that effectively transforms the police force into an armed militia to harass, suppress and crackdown on academics, activists, journalists. the political opposition and all those who dare to speak truth to power."
On Tuesday, the assembly session in Bihar witnessed multiple adjournments as the RJD leaders shouted slogans against the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021. After a few Opposition leaders prevented Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha from leaving his chamber, police personnel reached the assembly premises to evict the MLAs. Women MLAs of the Opposition were carried out of the assembly building by women security personnel.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party-Janta Dal (United) government in Bihar has pushed through the draconian Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021 that confers unbridled powers upon Bihar Military Police to conduct raids and arrests without warrants. It is an insidious conspiracy to enforce a Police Raj in Bihar and portends what the BJP intends to do throughout India employing the sheer tyranny of power," the statement further read.
RJD MLA Satish Kumar was also carried on a stretcher from the Bihar assembly after he was allegedly manhandled by 'police and local goons' inside the assembly during a protest against the Bill.
Following this, Tejashwi Yadav alleged that Opposition MLAs wanted to speak against the bill but they were assaulted.
