The fourth day of the Chhattisgarh Assembly's Monsoon Session witnessed sharp exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches on Thursday, with the alleged use of fake Gram Sabha resolutions for industrial projects emerging as the biggest flashpoint. The Congress staged a walkout after expressing dissatisfaction with the government's response, while a separate debate over the Seva Gram project led to a heated verbal exchange between former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar.

During Question Hour, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel raised concerns over alleged forged Gram Sabha resolutions reportedly used to facilitate industrial projects in tribal areas. Responding to the issue, Industries Minister O.P. Choudhary informed the House that the matter is under police investigation and appropriate legal action would be taken after the inquiry is completed.

The opposition rejected the response, arguing that the government had failed to provide clear accountability or immediate action against those responsible. Following the minister's reply, Congress legislators staged a walkout from the Assembly.

Seva Gram Debate Turns Heated

The session also saw an intense exchange between Bhupesh Baghel and senior BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar during discussions related to the Seva Gram project. The debate escalated over remarks made during the proceedings.

Later, Chandrakar expressed regret in the House over his choice of words. Acknowledging the gesture, Bhupesh Baghel responded by thanking him, bringing the verbal confrontation to a close.

Questions Raised on Fisheries Policy

Leader of Opposition questioned provisions in the state's fisheries policy, alleging that certain clauses allowed taxation in forest-area ponds despite legal protections for tribal communities.

Replying to the discussion, Fisheries Minister Ramvichar Netam said the government is preparing a new fisheries policy that will address existing anomalies. BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar also criticized provisions introduced under the previous Congress government, claiming they allowed large-scale leasing of water bodies to registered entities at the cost of local fishing communities.

The minister assured the House that the revised policy would correct such issues.

Fertiliser Distribution Under Scrutiny

Congress MLA Daleshwar Sahu raised concerns over the distribution of fertilisers across districts, alleging that some regions had received supplies well beyond their targets while others faced shortages.

Agriculture Minister Ramvichar Netam informed the Assembly that 14.06 lakh metric tonnes of fertiliser had been allocated, with 64% distributed through the cooperative sector and 36% through private dealers. He maintained that allocation was carried out according to the requirements of farmers and the distribution framework approved by the Centre.

The opposition demanded an inquiry into alleged imbalances in fertiliser allocation, particularly between tribal and plain regions.

Copper Plate Manuscripts Trigger Fresh Controversy

Another issue that drew attention was the historical Balarjun copper plate inscriptions discovered at Malhar in Bilaspur district.

Congress MLA Raghavendra Singh pointed to an alleged discrepancy between information shared in Parliament-linked references and the government's written response in the Assembly regarding the language of the inscriptions.

He argued that while the Prime Minister had previously referred to the inscriptions as being in Brahmi and Pali, the government's reply stated they were written in Brahmi script and Sanskrit language. He accused officials of providing inaccurate information to the minister.

Culture Minister Rajesh Agrawal assured the House that the matter would be examined and action would be taken against officials if incorrect information had indeed been supplied.

The minister informed the Assembly that under the Gyan Bharatam Mission, more than 1.24 lakh manuscripts had been registered from Chhattisgarh through a mobile application. Of these, over 12,000 manuscripts had been verified, while the remaining entries were rejected due to technical or procedural reasons.

Session Continues Amid Political Sparring

Thursday's proceedings reflected continued political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the Congress opposition, with debates spanning governance, tribal rights, agriculture, heritage conservation and industrial approvals. The Monsoon Session is expected to witness further discussions on key legislative and administrative matters in the coming days.