Rajasthan Assembly Passes Fisheries Amendment Bill Amid Congress Protests
In a lively session full of drama, the Rajasthan Assembly on Monday pushed through the Fisheries Amendment Bill, even as Congress MLAs created a big uproar over the state’s worsening law and order situation. This move aims to crack down harder on illegal fishing, with fines jumping way up to protect Rajasthan’s fisheries resources.
The new bill hikes penalties big time for those caught fishing without permission. For a first-time offence, the fine now shoots up from just Rs 500 to a steep Rs 25,000. Repeat offenders face an even tougher hit—the penalty rises from Rs 1,000 to Rs 50,000. Lawmakers hope these stricter rules will deter illegal fishing activities and safeguard local fishermen’s livelihoods in Rajasthan.
But the debate wasn’t smooth sailing. Only BSP MLA Manoj Nyangli and Independent MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati joined the discussion on the Fisheries Amendment Bill. Bhati raised concerns about the high fines, pointing out that many poor fishermen break rules by mistake. He argued that such heavy penalties could crush small-time fishermen who already struggle to make ends meet.
The chaos kicked off during Zero Hour when Congress leader Tika Ram Jully called for an urgent debate on Rajasthan’s law and order issues. Congress MLAs rushed into the Well of the House, shouting slogans and demanding quick action from the Bhajan Lal Sharma government. Speaker Vasudev Devnani tried to calm things down, promising to take up the matter in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting, but the protests kept going strong.
Things got heated even earlier. In the morning, outside the assembly, Congress MLAs held a protest rally with posters in hand. They chanted catchy slogans like "Bhajan Sarkar Hosh Me Aao" (Bhajan Government, Wake Up!) and "Sarkari Zameenon Ki Chori Band Karo" (Stop Stealing Government Land), targeting alleged land scams under the Rajasthan government.
During Question Hour, tensions boiled over again. When Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel answered a query from Congress MLA Sohanlal Nayak about delays in consolidation notifications, he took a jab at the Opposition leader, saying he should "keep listening." Speaker Devnani quickly stepped in, warning Patel to direct his responses to the Chair, not individual MLAs. Patel shot back that he was "answering here only," which only irked the Speaker more.
As the ruckus peaked during the Fisheries Bill talks, Patel fired back at Congress, accusing them of stirring up trouble. "Eight crore people are watching Congress’s behavior—they just create chaos," he said, before leading chants of "Congress Hai-Hai." With no signs of the uproar dying down, Speaker Devnani adjourned the house first until 3 p.m., and then pushed it to 3:30 p.m.
This isn’t the first time things have turned stormy in the Rajasthan Assembly’s monsoon session. Congress MLAs have been protesting almost daily, raising alarms on everything from law and order breakdowns to serious land grab allegations against the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led Rajasthan government. As the session continues, it looks like more fireworks are on the way for Rajasthan politics.
