The second day of the Meghalaya Assembly’s autumn session witnessed an unprecedented incident on Monday where an MLA banged the table, and hurled slangs as he shed his anger out over the non functional of microphones inside the House during question hour.
The legislator Saleng A Sangma of the NCP stood up during question hour after deputy speaker Timothy D Shira disallowed North Shillong MLA Adelbert Nongrum to raise supplementary question on issues related to inter-state boundary dispute.
Shira did not allow Nongrum because he has moved to another question and has called the concerned minister to reply.
Nongrum said that he was already on his feet raising supplementary question, but the deputy speaker did not hear him because the micro phone was not functioning.
As Nongrum was disallowed by the deputy speaker, Saleng stood up and raise his voice in anger over the non functional of the sound system.
Saleng banged his table, and used filthy words against Assembly people who operated the sound system, but the deputy speaker did not intervene or call for expunging of the unparliamentarily words.
The deputy speaker instead allowed Nongrum to raise his supplementary question.
After the question hour, senior Congress MLA and former speaker Charles Pyngrope raised a point order, and requested the deputy speaker to direct that unparliamentarily words used by the MLA should be expunged, and urged members to raise their voice without bringing down the decorum of the House.
On Pyngrope’s request, the deputy speaker assured expunging of the filthy words from the proceedings of the Assembly.
The sound system did not function properly since the first day of the autumn session on Friday.
During question hour on Monday, East Shillong MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh had to use the microphone installed in the seat of Pyngrope as the microphone in her own seat did not work.
On many occasions, the voice of ministers, MLAs could not be heard.