Lumpy Virus: Congress, BJP Trade Barbs In Rajasthan Assembly

Congress and BJP showdown reached the floor of the assembly as there was a fierce fight between Leader of the Opposition Gulabchand Kataria and Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra on the issue of the Lumpy virus.

JAIPUR | Updated: 21 September, 2022 6:45 pm IST
While the opposition BJP blamed Congress for not doing enough to control the virus, the ruling party blamed the BJP-ruled central government for not declaring it a national calamity

Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) showdown reached the floor of the assembly as there was a fierce fight between Leader of the Opposition Gulabchand Kataria and Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra on the issue of the Lumpy virus.

Kataria blamed the state government for not doing enough to control the virus in Rajasthan and not giving compensation to the cattle owners in the state who have lost their livelihood.

The Leader of Opposition, Kataria, questioned Minister of Animal Husbandry Lal Chand Kataria when he said that they want the central government to declare lumpy as a national calamity.

“If you look at this answer by the minister, it seems if the central government will not declare it a national calamity, the state government will not do anything. It means that the cattle owners who faced losses as thousands of cattle died recently, the government will not give any compensation to them,” said Kataria.

The moment Kataria said that Dotasara came in the middle and said why is the central government not taking appropriate action by announcing it a calamity.

“Why won’t the central government declare it a national calamity? The BJP should support our government in this regard. They should take responsibility for their actions and not just blame the government,” Dotasra shouted in the assembly.

Kataria then asked Dotasra why he was interrupting in the middle when the question was not addressed to him. Dotasara retaliated and said, “This house is not only of Gulabchand Kataria. This house belongs to Govind Singh Dotasra as much as it belongs to him. You and I have equal rights here.”

After some ruckus, the matter was resolved after the intervention of Speaker CP Joshi. The speaker said, “The minister will answer on his own, you do not need to speak in the middle.”

Meanwhile, during the discussions on the Agriculture Market Amendment Bill, BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the house in protest. In the debate, BJP MLAs called it a black law and a burden on farmers.

Kataria, Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore and several BJP MLAs said that selling the farmers’ produce in the market will now become burdensome for them due to cess and mandi fees.

Just before the bill was passed, Rathore demanded voting in the House and later on the leader of Kataria announced a walkout from the House in protest against the bill.

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