Imran Khedawala, Congress MLA representing Jamalpur in Ahmedabad and the sole Muslim member of the Gujarat Assembly, has requested protection from the Speaker owing to alleged disrespectful comments directed at him by ruling BJP members, referring to him as someone “from a specific community.”
In response, Speaker Shankar Chaudhary urged all House members to avoid making personal remarks.
This matter arose during Question Hour when a starred question presented by Khedawala was addressed. The legislator brought about the issue of a proposed overbridge connecting Vishala Circle and Sarkhej Crossroads in Ahmedabad. He observed that the road runs through Juhapura and Sarkhej, both areas that have a population of the minorities.
The government responded that the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has sanctioned the construction of the overbridge at a cost of over Rs 1200 crore, with completion expected by 2027, pending necessary approvals.
Khedawala asked when the construction of the bridge would start and be completed.
Minister of State Jagdish Vishwakarma said the completion of the work depends on various factors, including the number of encroachments along the road.
Vishwakarma was quoted as saying, “I want to say that if the work on the road is to be completed expeditiously, then I will have to take help of Imranbhai. On that single road, there are more than 700 non-veg lorries, shops, kiosks; more than 1,200 rickshaws lie on that road, around 11 garages of a particular community are there and all of them are illegal. Around six religious encroachments of a particular community are there.”
“I need Imranbhai’s help because all these encroachments are on approximately 6,000 square meter area…When only a particular community does encroachments in the entire state, then, honourable Imranbhai, it is your duty that your community does not do wrongful encroachment. As an MLA of the community, it becomes (a matter of) your concern.”
Khedawala protested saying, “(They) always talk about a community.” He also raised a Point of Order, a national daily reported.
Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar said the ruling party had an obligation to remove the encroachments if they were present on the road.
The speakers traded barbs, with Vishwakarma alleging that Khedawala’s “unauthorised” office in Jamalpur was recently razed. He said, “Whenever the state government demolishes encroachments, members of the Opposition conspire to defame the government with political malaise. And whenever the state government removes encroachments, all the members of the Congress conspire to defame the government with an intention to be visible on social media and TV (channels)…Therefore, I am saying that when the government does the encroachment removal, please support it and do not prevent it.”
Khedawala countered the allegations of having unlawful office. He offered to produce legal documents of his office. He said, “The manner in which insulting talks are being done while referring to (me) as a person from a community; Amitbhai (Amit P Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Ellisbridge constituency) had talked in an insulting manner the other day… Here, I am a Muslim MLA among the 182 MLAs. So, I seek your protection. I raise issues of the society and of Gujarat within the limits of the Constitution. So, the kind of sentences being used in the Assembly, it should not be done now onwards. I feel sad about this.”
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