Minister Vijayvargiya says ‘aukat mein raho’ to LoP, CM says sorry

Bhopal: In a serious showdown on the floor of the Assembly on Thursday, state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, facing calls for resignation from Congress members over the deaths linked to groundwater contamination in Indore's Bhagirathpura, made a personal remark against LoP Umang Singhar, telling him: "Aukat mein raho" (stay within your limits). The remark provoked a heated exchange between the Treasury and Opposition, forcing the House into repeated adjournments before Chief minister Mohan Yadav tendered an apology on behalf of his senior cabinet colleague. House proceedings were thrown into disarray as tempers flared, prompting the Speaker to call repeated adjournments for order to be restored. As bedlam broke over Vijayvargiya's remark, Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar did some plain-speaking. "The parliamentary affairs minister (Vijayvargiya) has loads of experience. Yet, certain boundaries were breached today. It is a cause for concern. I request the Treasury and the Opposition to sort out the matter and let the House resume normal discourse," the Speaker said, holding both sides across the aisle responsible for what went down in the House. The CM, who was seated in the Assembly as the showdown unfolded, apologised to the Chair saying he regretted if any offensive word was uttered knowingly or unknowingly. Vijayvargiya, who also holds the urban development and housing ministry, had earlier come under severe criticism after he snapped at a reporter and used an offensive word at being questioned over the Bhagirathpura deaths.