Jaipur, Sep 4 : The issue of widespread crop damage due to excessive rains rocked the Rajasthan Assembly on Thursday, with Congress MLAs staging strong protests inside and outside the House.

Before the session began, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Tika Ram Jully drove a tractor to the western gate of the Assembly to highlight farmers' woes. Security personnel stopped the tractor at the gate, leading to heated arguments.

Later, Jully and other Congress MLAs marched on foot into the Assembly premises, carrying damaged crop samples and banners, and raised slogans accusing the government of negligence. Inside the House, the uproar intensified during Zero Hour when Congress MLAs Amit Chachan, Narendra Budania and LoP alleged that lakhs of acres of standing crops had been destroyed. 'The government is roaming in helicopters but has no time to care for the farmers. Immediate compensation should be announced,' Budania charged.

The protests escalated when Disaster Relief Minister Dr Kirodi Lal Meena responded to adjournment motions on crop damage, assuring proper compensation for affected farmers. During his reply, Congress MLA Ashok Chandna tried to speak without the Speaker's permission and later argued with him, triggering a noisy tussle between ruling BJP and Congress members. As the uproar grew, the Speaker adjourned the House at 12.34 p.m. till 2 p.m.

Meanwhile, a question raised by LoP Tikam Ram Jully regarding the change in the area of Sariska Tiger Reserve and approval of mining was postponed by the Speaker, citing the matter's pendency in the Supreme Court.

LoP Jully dramatically arrived at the Western Gate of the Assembly, driving a tractor, symbolising farmers' distress. At the Assembly entrance, the opposition members staged a sit-in and accused the state government of negligence in providing relief to the farmers.

Addressing the protest, Jully said, 'We are raising the voice of the people, and the government will have to listen. This is democracy, which is being weakened, but we will not let that happen. Farmers' crops have been completely ruined due to heavy rains, and people have suffered massive losses of life and property.'

The protest by Congress MLAs created a tense atmosphere ahead of the Assembly proceedings, as they vowed to continue pressing the government for immediate compensation to the affected farmers.

Despite the chaos, the Assembly is scheduled to take up and is reported to pass crucial bills, including the Rajasthan Goods and Services Tax Second Amendment Bill, among others.

Jully reiterated outside the House, "Farmers across the state have suffered massive losses of life and property due to heavy rains. The government has failed to provide relief. Until justice is done, we will continue to raise our voice.'

/IANS