MP assembly Day 1 begins with tributes to Dharmendra others Cong slams short duration of session

Bhopal, Dec 1 (PTI) The Winter session of the Madhya Pradesh assembly began on Monday with legislators paying tributes to film legend Dharmendra, former Congress Union minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, victims of the Delhi blast and inspector Ashish Sharma of the state police's Hawk Force, who was martyred in a gunfight with Naxalites.
As soon the House assembled, Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar mentioned the names of the departed souls and proceeded to pay tributes.
Remembering Dharmendra, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said he was a renowned actor and his performance in the iconic film "Sholay" is still fresh in the minds of the people. Yadav also paid rich tributes to former Nagaland governor and Rajya Sabha member La Ganeshan as well as victims of the blast near Red Fort in Delhi.
Hailing inspector Sharma, the CM said, "He was a brave inspector. He received the President's Award twice and the Gallantry Award once. We salute the bravery of this son of Narsinghpur district. I pray to Baba Mahakal to grant the deceased a place at his feet."
Sharma died in an encounter with Naxalites in the forests of Rajnandgaon district in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Umang Singhar called Dharmendra a great artist who came from a small village in Punjab.
"With his song 'Main Jat Pagla Deewana', he drove the nation crazy. Such madness has been witnessed by few," Singhar said.
Referring to the Delhi blast, he said 13 people lost their lives and asserted such an incident in the capital is a "blow to our security".
Recalling the valour of Sharma, Singhar said, "We were present at his funeral, along with the Chief Minister and the state congress president and several ministers. This young man inspired the youth of the country. We should draw inspiration from his sacrifice for the country."
The LoP also expressed grief at the deaths of children after consuming adulterated cough syrup in Chhindwara, saying the tragedy during Diwali had extinguished the light of many families. He also paid tribute to the victims of the rat attack in the Government MY Hospital in Indore as well as some BLOs who died during the Special Intensive Revision campaign in the state.
Singhar said the state government should have included these incidents in the condolence list as a sign of empathy, though the ruling BJP rebuked the Opposition for mentioning incidents outside the list.
Objecting to the mentioning of incidents outside the Daily Business List, state sports and youth welfare minister Vishvas Sarang said the House will function according to rules and regulations, adding that if they feel a name or incident has been omitted, they can mention it.
"But alleging that a topic was deliberately omitted and giving a speech on it is not permissible as that can be done only through Call Attention Motion. The dignity of the condolence motion must be maintained," Sarang asserted.
The Speaker then asked the members to raise matters in the House as per rules and procedure.
He then adjourned the House for 10 minutes as a mark of respect for the departed souls.
When the House reassembled, Congress leader Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat cited the short duration of the session and accused the ruling party of shying away from discussion on important issues concerning farmers, youth, and crimes against women.
"Shortening the House's duration has become a tradition," he said as other Opposition members rushed to the Well of the House and raised slogans demanding an extension.
The Speaker responded by saying the issue would be discussed in the Business Advisory Committee meeting.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)