Almost entire first half of the Jharkhand assembly session was washed away on Monday, with the opposition BJP disrupting proceedings over the state government’s employment policy and demanding that chief minister Hemant Soren make a statement over the issue in the House.
Soon after House convened and newly elected AJSU Party legislator Sunita Chaudhary took oath, BJP members trooped into the well, demanding Speaker to direct the leader of the House to make a statement over the issue. BJP members demanded that the government needs to clear confusion over the issue even as they alleged the treasury bench has committed contempt of assembly by getting the recruitment rules cleared by the cabinet when the house was in session.
BJP was backed by ally AJSU Party, besides JMM legislator Lobin Hembrom and Independent legislator Amit Yadav. Amid the din, parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam tried to explain the government’s position while replying to a short notice question of Amit Yadav over the same issue.
However, the opposition refused to budge, leading to adjournment of the House around 11.30 am for an hour. When the House resumed at 12.30 pm, the din continued leasing to another adjournment till 2 pm.
“I had raised this issue on March 4 as well. The government needs to clarify what is the exact employment policy,” senior BJP leader and former minister Neelkanth Singh Munda said in the House.
Speaking to reporters after walking out of the House, the BJP chief whip said the government has committed contempt of the House.
“First the CM said domicile and employment policy based on 1932 Khatiyan was not possible. Then they brought a bill to that effect, which was passed unanimously. Simultaneously they amended recruitment rules that was struck down by the court. Now they have again amended rules about which the House has not been informed when the house is in session. This is contempt of house as well,” said Narayan.
Defending the government over the issue in the house, parliamentary affairs minister Alamgir Alam said the rules have been amended in light of the high court order and recruitment process would start soon.
“The recruitment rules were passed by the assembly in 2015. An amendment was made in 2021, which was turned down by the court. Those clauses have been withdrawn. The government would soon start recruitment process. As far as age relaxation and other related things are concerned, the government is deliberating upon these issues and decision would be made accordingly,” said Alam.
The Hemant Soren cabinet had, on March 2, withdrawn the JSSC examination (amendment) rules 2021, which made it mandatory for job aspirants from the general category to have passed class 10th and 12th from the state to apply for the grade 3 & 4 jobs.
The cabinet also approved inclusion of Hindi, English and Sanskrit in the list of regional language papers, which were kept out of it earlier.
The two amendments made in the examination rules were the basis on which the Jharkhand high court had scrapped the JSSC examination (amendment) rules 2021, that introduced class 10th and 12th clause in the Jharkhand Staff Selection Examination Conduct Rules, 2015. The court had also red flagged leaving out Hindi being kept out of the regional languages paper.
JSSC stand for Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission.
