Rajasthan: Sacked Minister Gudha Got Into Scuffle With Shanti Dhariwal, Other Congress MLAs, Evicted From Assembly

In a highly unprecedented incident inside the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly on Monday (24 July), former minister Rajendra Gudha allegedly got into a scuffle with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal.

Rafeek Khan and other Congress MLAs rushed to protect the 79-year-old Dhariwal from the assault.

During the altercation, Gudha also protested in the well of the House and engaged in a heated argument with Speaker CP Joshi.

In response, Speaker Joshi directed the marshals to remove Gudha from the House, subsequently leading to the adjournment of the session.

After the incident, Gudha spoke to journalists and claimed that he was attacked by five to seven Congress MLAs, including ministers, inside the House. He also alleged that Dhariwal had assaulted him.

Following his eviction, Gudha was prevented from entering even the Assembly building as several marshals crowded around him, a departure from the usual practice of evicting an MLA only from the House, not the entire building.

The events leading up to this confrontation stem from Friday when Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sacked Gudha from his ministerial position after he criticized the state government in the Assembly for its handling of crimes against women.

During a debate on the Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill, Congress MLAs had raised placards over the Manipur issue, and Gudha took the opportunity to point out the rising incidents of crimes against women in Rajasthan. This statement led to opposition MLAs praising him for exposing the government's shortcomings.

As a result of the altercation and subsequent actions, Gudha was relieved of his ministerial portfolios, which included Sainik Kalyan (independent charge), Home Guard and Civil Defence (independent charge), and Panchayati Raj and Rural Development departments.