Winter session: Ruckus at Bihar Legislative Assembly over Israel-Hamas war

At the start of the winter session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Monday, there was a confrontation over the Israel-Hamas conflict. Several MLAs from the governing Grand Alliance wanted a condolence for the innocent people being killed in Gaza, while lawmakers from the BJP were against it.

Assembly Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary's request for a minute of quiet and her reading of condolences for the deaths of nine former MLAs in recent months sparked controversy.

At that moment, MLAs for the CPI(ML), headed by Mahboob Alam, the leader of the parliamentary party, insisted that the condolences include the deaths of men, women, and children in Gaza at the hands of Israel.

"In Gaza, Israel is murdering civilians. Palestine's defenseless men, women, and children are dying in this conflict. It is readily visible to everybody. This has to end. In the Assembly, we must denounce the murders and show support for this," Alam said.

Legislators from the CPI, CPM, Congress, and AIMIM rallied behind the demand, and chief minister Nitish Kumar, along with MLAs from his JDU and RJD, observed a moment of silence in memory of the deceased former House members.

The BJP lawmakers jumped into the debate right away, rejecting the proposal and stating that it was wrong to support and condone Hamas' murder of Israeli civilians.

Soon, BJP and governing coalition MLAs started yelling at one another. The usual expressions of sadness and quiet homage to the lawmakers who have passed away were tarnished by the commotion. The House was adjourned till Tuesday morning by the Speaker.

To demand a free Palestine, the CPI(ML) MLAs marched inside the House grounds.