Riots issue rocks Bihar Assembly; House adjourned till 2 p.m.

The Bihar Assembly plunged into turmoil on April 3 with the BJP and the ruling ‘grand alliance’ trading charges over the violence which broke out in parts of Bihar following Ram Navami celebrations, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house till 2 p.m. The BJP accused the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) government of failing to check communal disturbances in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns, but ended up being blamed for the conflagration by the ruling coalition.

The Bihar Assembly plunged into turmoil on April 3 with the BJP and the ruling ‘grand alliance’ trading charges over the violence which broke out in parts of Bihar following Ram Navami celebrations, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house till 2 p.m.

The BJP accused the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) government of failing to check communal disturbances in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns, but ended up being blamed for the conflagration by the ruling coalition.

In view of the bedlam, Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary adjourned the House, within 15 minutes of commencement of proceedings at 11 a.m., till 2 p.m.

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No sooner than the House had assembled, Leader of the Opposition and other BJP members were on their feet, raising the issue of the riots that began on Thursday evening, during Ram Navami festivities, and continued till Friday, forcing Union Home Minister Amit Shah to cancel his visit to Sasaram on Sunday.

The Opposition members, though, were soon outnumbered and outshouted by those in the ‘Mahagathbandhan,’ who accused the BJP-RSS of involvement in the riots and also deplored Mr. Shah’s remarks at a rally in Nawada district on Sunday, where he had vowed to “hang upside down” the rioters if the BJP came to power in the State. The administration has so far maintained that riots in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif towns have led to no casualty.