Bhopal, July 20: Congress legislator Pankaj Upadhyay staged a protest in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly premises on Monday. He alleged that the Assembly Secretariat repeatedly dismissed his attempts to raise questions related to the Kalarsi Sugar Mill without any justification.
Later, several Congress legislators joined Upadhyay in the protest. The representative from Joura in Morena district sat in protest near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the first day of the monsoon session, demanding an explanation from the Assembly Secretariat for rejecting his questions.
Upadhyay stated to reporters that he had submitted five questions regarding the Kalarsi Sugar Mill in previous sessions, including those for the December 2025 session, the March-April 2026 session, question number 210 listed for February 17, 2026, and question number 260 for the current session. He claimed that all these questions were dismissed without any reason.
“I have repeatedly tried to raise public interest issues related to the Kalarsi Sugar Mill, but every question has been rejected. Even after contacting Assembly officials, I have not been informed about the basis for their rejection,” Upadhyay said.
He mentioned that he had met with the Principal Secretary of the Assembly during the day to seek clarification but did not receive a satisfactory response.
“My constitutional right as an elected legislator is to raise issues concerning the public. If questions related to public interest are dismissed without explanation, it undermines the rights and privileges of legislators and weakens democratic functioning,” he added.
Former minister and senior Congress leader Jayvardhan Singh also supported the protest, stating that the Kalarsi Sugar Mill issue directly affects the livelihoods of many farmers and laborers.
Singh emphasized, “The sugar mill is a significant issue for farmers and laborers. If legislators are not allowed to raise such issues in the Assembly, it goes against democratic traditions.”
He raised serious concerns regarding the functioning of the Assembly Secretariat on this matter. Singh warned, “If the rights of elected representatives continue to be ignored, the Congress legislative party will be compelled to escalate its protest through democratic means.”
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