CHANDIGARH, March 13 — The Haryana Assembly plunged into chaos on Wednesday as the Congress demanded a House committee investigation into corruption allegations made by BJP MLA Ram Kumar Gautam against state Tourism Minister Arvind Sharma.
The uproar began after Question Hour when opposition members pressed for a formal inquiry, arguing that the issue could not be dismissed simply because the remarks were expunged from Tuesday’s proceedings.
“A ruling party legislator has accused a minister of corruption—this cannot be ignored,” said Congress MLA Ashok Kumar Arora, calling for a probe.
The controversy originated during Tuesday’s discussion on Governor Bandaru Dattatraya’s address when Gautam and Sharma clashed. Speaker Harvinder Kalyan later expunged their exchange, citing it as inappropriate for the House. However, the Congress revived the issue on Wednesday, arguing that removing remarks from records did not erase their significance.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda attempted to defuse the situation, dismissing the dispute as an “unfortunate” altercation between party colleagues. “Unless there’s a written complaint, no investigation can be considered,” he said, rejecting the opposition’s demand.
Congress legislators refused to back down, with senior leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian criticizing the government’s stance.
“A serious corruption allegation has been made on the floor of this House,” he said, challenging the need for a written complaint.
The Speaker intervened, stating that the language used during the altercation was unacceptable. “Such remarks are not expected from anyone,” he said, urging members to move on.
Despite this, the Congress stalled proceedings for 20 minutes, insisting that the exchange had tarnished the dignity of the Assembly.
Dhanda accused the opposition of exaggerating the issue, saying, “The Congress is making a mountain out of a molehill.” His remark triggered further protests.
As tensions escalated, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda demanded a formal condemnation of the incident. “What action will the government take?” he asked, pressing for clarity. The Speaker reiterated that no one had the right to damage the image of the House and cautioned members against personal attacks.
Unmoved, Congress MLAs walked out in protest, chanting slogans—only to return minutes later for Zero Hour, marking the end of the confrontation.
While the session resumed, the political storm over a ruling party MLA’s allegations against a minister is far from over.
