Gujarat: BJP, Cong MLAs spar over SC/ST monitoring cell meetings

Gandhinagar: BJP and Congress MLAs sparred over the issue of meetings of a monitoring cell under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, prompting the speaker to intervene during question hour in the Gujarat assembly on Thursday.The matter came up for discussion even after the question hour, with minister Jitu Vaghani raising a point of order and terming Mevani's conduct "unacceptable". During the question hour, Mevani said that the chief minister is required to conduct meetings of the state-level monitoring committee, but these were not held regularly. He added that the government, in reply to his petition in the high court, had assured the court that such meetings would be held regularly. Mevani also asked whether the CM met any victims who filed a complaint under the SC/ST Act. Replying to the question, state social justice and empowerment minister Manisha Vakil told the assembly that meetings of the monitoring cell under the SC/ST Act are conducted regularly and called Mevani's charges baseless. "The meetings were held at regular intervals under the chairmanship of the CM. It was held in June 2019, Sep 2024 and Dec 2025," she said, adding that Mevani himself was not present at the meeting. Mevani countered her, saying that though the committee includes Dalit and tribal MLAs and MPs, it is not compulsory for them to attend such meetings. "But, according to the law, it is compulsory for the CM to conduct the meeting," he said. At this point, deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi intervened, accusing Mevani of "raising the issue for publicity". He added that it was inappropriate to make such allegations inside the assembly, as they were being raised to gain attention. This led to a heated exchange of words between the ruling MLAs and opposition MLAs. Speaker Shankar Chaudhary repeatedly asked members, including Mevani, to take their seats, but the arguments continued for some time. After question hour, Minister Jitu Vaghani raised a point of order, stating that, despite being told several times to be seated, Mevani disregarded the speaker's directions.