PATNA, India: Sixty-seven opposition legislators were Wednesday suspended for creating ruckus in the Bihar assembly while demanding Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's resignation, with one member hurling a slipper at the speaker.
Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary suspended the 67, mostly from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the Left, on the second day of bedlam during which one woman member broke many flowerpots outside the house.
Jyoti Singh picked up large flower pots decorating the entrance to the assembly and hurled them at security personnel. She was eventually dragged away by three female marshals.
The suspended legislators, forcibly removed by the marshals from the assembly, said Nitish Kumar was neckdeep in corruption and had swindled billions of rupees from the treasury.
The suspension will remain effective during the ongoing monsoon session till July 24.
Nitish Kumar is among 47 people named in a complaint alleging misuse of Rs.114.12 billion.
Petitioner Arvind Kumar pointed to the irregularities in the use of development funds during 2002-08 in Bihar.
The Patna High Court has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter, a decision the government has appealed against.
The assembly opened at 11 a.m. after being adjourned Tuesday afternoon following clashes between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition.
The opposition members trooped toward the speaker, shouted slogans against their suspension and demanded that Nitish Kumar quit.
The NDA said that an opposition member threw a sandal at the speaker to protest against the suspensions. Protests continued outside the house too.
On Tuesday, 14 opposition members of the Bihar Legislative Council were suspended for their unruly behavior in the house.
RJD and LJP workers Wednesday morning burnt an effigy of Nitish Kumar near the main gate of the assembly. Seventy-six legislators continued their overnight sit-in inside the assembly while another three protested outside the main gate.
Describing the bedlam as 'unfortunate,' the Congress Wednesday made a veiled attack on Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary.
"Whatever happened in the Bihar assembly is unfortunate and sad. This should not happen. It is also the responsibility of the speaker to run the house properly," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said.
