Chattisgarh session may be stormy

RAIPUR, DEC. 13. The first Legislative Assembly session of the newly-formed Chattisgarh State, beginning tomorrow, is likely to be stormy with the Opposition BJP planning to grill the Ajit Jogi government on the drought and diamond mining issues.

Mr. Jogi, though not a member of the 90-member Assembly, would have to face the onslaught of both the BJP as well as dissidents during the three-day session.

``We will not spare Mr. Jogi on the diamond mining issue as he is contradicting himself,'' senior BJP leader, Mr. Brij Mohan Agrawal said here today.

Mr. Jogi undertook a ``padyatra'' in early 1997 in Deobhog area demanding the scrapping of diamond prospecting agreement that the Madhya Pradesh government had with the B.Vijaykumar Chhattisgarh Exploration Company, Mr. Agrawal said.

``He has done a U-turn now. After becoming the Chief Minister he is saying there is no need to review the agreement,'' he said adding it would be one of the major issues to be raised.

Shukla to be first Speaker

Senior Congress leader, Mr. Rajendra Prasad Shukla, was all set to be elected as the first Speaker of Chhattisgarh Assembly with no one else in the race, Assembly sources said today.

Mr. Shukla was the only MLA to file papers till the time for filing nominations closed.

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Section  : Other States
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