Chandigarh: The scuffle between Congress MLAs and security personnel at the Haryana Assembly entrance on the opening day of the monsoon session drew chief minister Nayab Singh Saini’s ire. He said protests could not come at the cost of the dignity of security staff or the House.Addressing a news conference after the conclusion of the session, Saini described the Aug 27 incident as “unfortunate” and expressed surprise at opposition leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s alleged participation in the protest.“I respect Hooda. He is a former chief minister and has also been a Lok Sabha member. Therefore, restraint and dignity are expected from him,” the CM said, adding that being an MLA did not put anyone above the rules of the Assembly.Security personnel were performing their duty and deserved respect, he said. “Venting political anger on security personnel is not right,” he said, appealing to Congress leaders to introspect and express regret over the incident.Referring to a poster mentioning the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Saini alleged that Congress MLA Induraj Narwal snatched it from a Dalit MLA and threw it away in a “disrespectful” manner. He also alleged that Hooda had elbowed a security official.The CM also hit out at Congress over its protests against the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN), alleging that the opposition was using the issue for political gains.“We have ended the contract system, middlemen and exploitation of youth through HKRN,” he said, claiming Congress was protesting because its “shop had been shut”.The five-day monsoon session, held from Aug 27 to Sept 1, had three sittings and saw around 16 hours of discussion. A total of 15 bills were discussed and passed, while several issues were taken up through calling-attention motions.The CM also expressed concern over “attempts to divide society along caste lines”.
