The Times of India 15.10.2010
Noisy scenes at JMC board meet on Day 2
JAIPUR: The second day of the extended session of the JMC board meet on Thursday was marked by councillors exchanging expletives, blows and rushing to the well of the house twice despite chair’s repeated appeal. Congress councillors defied their leader Jyoti Khandelwal who eventually had to adjourn the meet with the assurance of resuming the session on Monday .
Congress councillors did not allow any business to be conducted for first two hours. A discussion on maintenance of city parks suddenly turned ugly when a Congress councillor Sushil Kumar allegedly made a personal attack on a BJP councillor Ridhi Karan. Both groups clashed and had to be pacified by marshals. Congress councillors rushed to the well of the house demanding action against the BJP councillor. Discussion on the condition of city parks was abandoned.
Meanwhile , the mayor asked the members to discuss an agenda dealing with the marriage halls in the city. Recently, the JMC had enhanced the rate of tax on marriage hall owners by 100% which was opposed by BJP members. The Congress with 26 members were for the hike in taxes but the BJP’s Hanuman Sharma turned it down by calling for a voice vote. “We with our majority in the house turned down the proposal since it burdens the common citizen,” Sharma said.
The Congress members soon rushed to the well of the house demanding annulment of the BJP proposition. Once again this matter became a flash point which triggered violence and ruckus at the meeting. The chair adjourned the house for lunch so no business could be conducted during this session too.
When the councillors resumed discussions, the BJP raised the contentious issue of committees which had been put at number 26th on the agenda. Khandewal tried to reach out to the BJP with a compromise formula entailing some berths in the committees for the Congress. Manish Pareek, deputy mayor ,said that the BJP is ready to co-operate on certain conditions.
“In the interest of the city we are ready to talk on this issue otherwise legally we have to have all the committees,” Pareek said. The mayor, before adjourning the house till Monday, assured members that serious discussion on the panel formation would be the highlight on Monday.
