The Rajasthan Assembly witnessed an uproar on Wednesday over the installation of smart meters and the tragic death of seven students in a roof collapse at a government school in the Jhalawar district.
The day's proceedings began with questions about "toxic" water from flood-affected Punjab entering Rajasthan’s canal system, but quickly turned stormy as Congress members raised the issues of smart meters and the Jhalawar school tragedy, which occurred in July.
During the Question Hour, the Congress boycotted the session in protest against the response of Energy Minister Hiralal Nagar regarding smart meter installation, alleging widespread irregularities in the project. The opposition MLAs accused the government of corruption and chanted slogans in the Well of the House.
Nagar refuted the allegations, stating that the decision to install smart meters was made by the previous Congress government in 2023 through a Cabinet circular. He maintained that the tenders were awarded in compliance with the rules and no blacklisted company was involved. "It was the Congress that introduced the scheme. Why to raise objections now?" he challenged.
As Nagar spoke, Congress legislators walked out. They also accused ministers of making statements in the House during the Opposition’s absence. Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully challenged ministers to debate directly rather than "speak like thieves". Following the walkout, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel condemned the opposition's behaviour, stating, "It has become their habit. They are protesting the scheme which they brought (while in power)."
During the Zero Hour, the opposition created further uproar over the Jhalawar incident and demanded the Education Minister's resignation. Congress MLA Suresh Gurjar described the death of the seven students as "murder" and insisted that accountability must be established.
As the opposition members stormed to the Well of the House to protest, Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma was seen walking towards Jully, rolling up his sleeves. However, Jogaram Patel and Social Justice Minister Avinash Gehlot intervened to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Amid the chaos, Speaker Vasudev Devnani adjourned the House until 2 pm.
Before the session, Congress MLAs had entered the House wearing black armbands. They accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of "ignoring" the Jhalawar tragedy by not paying tribute to the deceased students.
After the House reconvened, the Speaker took up the scheduled business, and the Rajasthan Coaching Institute Control and Regulation Bill-2025 was introduced. Congress MLA Shanti Dhariwal argued that the bill "encourages bureaucracy" without addressing the root cause of student suicides. "How will this bill stop student suicides? There is no concrete provision for that," he said.
Also read: Torrential rain batters Rajasthan, low areas submerged
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