Gujarat Assembly Speaker Ganpat Vasava on Wednesday suspended all 55 Congress MLAs present in the House for two days, after they raised slogans in support of the Patidar reservation movement and threw lollipops towards the treasury benches and Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, The Indian Express reported.
Immediately after the Question Hour of the Budget Session began, Congress MLA Raghavji Patel demanded the introduction of a private member’s Bill to provide 20% quota for economically weaker sections. The Speaker had informed the lawmakers the previous day that the subject cannot be discussed during Question Hour.
Having come prepared to protest, the Congress MLAs then put on white caps with “Jai Sardar, Jai Patidar” written across them and threw lollipops at the treasury benches, despite the Speaker's attempts to control the chaos. Following their suspension, Raghavji Patel said in a statement that the party was in favour of the reservation stir and wanted the withdrawal of criminal cases, including sedition charges, against Patidar youths.
The legislators throwing lollipops is symbolic of the “lollipop movement” launched by Patidar leader Hardik Patel in September last year. It was launched to express displeasure over the package introduced by the government for students belonging to the economically weaker sections. As part of the campaign, lollipops were given to Patidars, who are recognised by Patel as their last name, across villages and talukas across the state.
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