While Speaker Ashok Bhatt criticised the incident in which, he said, an Opposition Congress member broke the frame of a Palitana Jain temple in the Assembly premises on Friday, the Congress accused the BJP government of “giving a communal colour to the incident to wriggle out of the situation triggered by the Ahmedabad hooch tragedy”.

The Speaker told the House that the “attack” on the Jain temple picture, which took place after the

Opposition Congress members held demonstrations in the Assembly, has not only “hurt my feelings, but also hurt the religious sentiments of people and our culture”. He also took umbrage at some Opposition MLAs ransacking other Assembly properties, including a dustbin and the glass panes of gate number 4.

Bhatt said the members who had damaged the Palitana Jain temple frame, the glass panes and the dustbin should voluntarily admit their mistake and pay Rs 1,900 towards the damages.

“Any elected representative losing his mental balance and damaging the public property is a blot (on Parliamentary democracy),” he said.

Later in the day, the Speaker told Newsline that the Congress member, who had broken the Jain temple frame fixed outside the MLAs’ lounge, was yet to be identified. “I have asked the Assembly sergeants to inquire into the incident and give the names of those involved in it,” he said.

On the other hand, Leader of the Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil of the Congress has vehemently refuted the charge that his party MLAs had ransacked the Jain temple picture or any other Assembly properties.

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