Hans News Service Jaipur

CongressMLAs boycotted proceedings on the first day of the Monsoon session of the Rajasthan Assembly on Thursday over the issue of restrictions on the entry of outsiders in government schools across the state. Speaker Vasudev Devnani expressed disappointment over the absence of opposition members from the House and appealed to them to participate in the proceedings.

Government Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel also criticised the Congress legislators for staying away from the House. After obituary references and some legislative business, the proceedings were adjourned till Friday. Congress MLAs staged a protest outside the House over the restrictions on entry of outsiders in government schools and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Madan Dilawar.

The Congress legislators, led by Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully, marched from the Poddar School for Deaf and Mute towards the Assembly. The protesters alleged that the state government was trying to prevent the public and media from highlighting the condition of government schools. Police stopped Congress MLAs with barricades and a brief scuffle broke out between the protesters and police personnel, with some Congress leaders climbing onto the barricades.The legislators subsequently sat on a dharna outside the Assembly.