The Chhattisgarh Assembly on Friday took up a discussion on a no-confidence motion moved by the Congress against the Vishnu Deo Sai-led BJP government. During the debate, the Opposition targeted the government with a 136-point chargesheet covering a wide range of issues, including mining, law and order and tribal rights.

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Charan Das Mahant said that the rationale behind the 136 point was that the government had completed 135 weeks in office and entered its 136th week.

Earlier, opening the discussion, Mr. Mahant alleged that the BJP government had failed on multiple fronts and had betrayed farmers, tribals, youth and women during its tenure.

At the outset of his speech, Mr. Mahant raised the issue of the mining in Hasdeo Arand forest in northern Chhattisgarh, and alleged that the State government was facilitating deforestation and coal mining in the ecologically sensitive region. He said that despite a resolution unanimously passed by the Assembly in July 2022 seeking the cancellation of coal blocks in Hasdeo Arand, mining activities were continuing in the forest area, often described as the “lungs of central India”. He further alleged that the State was allowing its forests to be destroyed at the behest of industrialists from Delhi and Rajasthan.

Even as the Opposition MLAs highlighted issues such as the plight of farmers, crimes against women and the dilution of tribal rights, senior BJP MLAs including, Dharam Lal Kaushik and Ajay Chandrakar countered the criticism by pointing out the shortcomings of the previous Congress government in the State.

Pointing to the ruling party’s repeated references to the previous government, Congress MLA Raghvendra Singh said that there was a sense of “chronoportation” or time travel, as current issues were being overshadowed by discussions about the past. He also raised concerns about the poor condition of government schools and the prevalence of substance abuse across the State.

Senior BJP Minister Ramvichar Netam described the no-confidence motion as unnecessary, saying it had been brought in haste and was resulting in a waste of the House’s time. Mr. Mahant intervened and asked if the motion was pointless and lacked substance, why the ruling party MLAs were spending considerable time delivering lengthy speeches during the debate on it.

The debate was on till 8 p.m. and was expected to continue till late evening.