Jaipur, Aug. 21 -- The confrontation between the Congress and the Rajasthan government escalated on Thursday after Congress MLAs were stopped by police barricades while attempting to enter the state Assembly, with the opposition now planning to move a privilege motion against both the government and the police, officials aware of the matter said. Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully said the police had no authority to prevent elected legislators from entering the Assembly. "This is a serious issue. How can the police stop MLAs from going to the Assembly?" he said, adding that Congress would submit a privilege motion to Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani. "It will now be up to the Speaker to decide against whom he admits the motion," Jully said. The confrontation came on the opening day of the Assembly's monsoon session, with Congress protesting the government's decision to restrict media access to schools. Led by Jully, Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra and Tonk MLA Sachin Pilot, Congress legislators marched from Poddar School for Deaf and Mute to the Assembly. Police stopped the legislators at barricades outside the Assembly. A scuffle broke out between the MLAs and police, with some Congress legislators climbing over the barricades. The Congress leaders later staged a sit-in outside the Assembly gates after the western entrance was locked. Jully said Congress had been using the same entrance since the Assembly was established and questioned why it was closed on Thursday. "We came from a school after being denied entry and were then stopped from entering the Assembly. We will give a privilege breach notice," he said. Pilot accused the government of trying to hide the deteriorating condition of schools by restricting journalists from entering campuses and taking photographs or videos. "This is completely unacceptable. The education minister should resign," he said, referring to the condition of school buildings and recent student deaths in Jhalawar. Dotasra alleged failures in the education system, including teacher vacancies, inadequate school infrastructure and alleged irregularities in transfers. He said Congress wanted to raise issues related to education, agriculture and healthcare in the Assembly. The protest led to a political standoff inside the House. The Assembly proceedings began at 11 am amid the Congress protest. After tributes were paid to departed leaders, the House was adjourned at 11.22 am until Friday morning. Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani expressed disappointment over the absence of Congress MLAs, saying marshals had asked them individually to enter the House but they refused. Parliamentary affairs minister Jogaram Patel accused the opposition of "anti-democratic" conduct. He said an all-party meeting had agreed that Assembly traditions would be followed, but Congress had acted contrary to that understanding. Chief Whip Jogeshwar Garg also questioned the opposition's absence, alleging that the MLAs had avoided attending the House. Two bills-the Geetanjali Global University Jaipur Bill and the Rajasthan Tree Protection Bill-were introduced in the House on Thursday and are expected to be taken up for debate and passage later. The demand for a separate Bhil Pradesh and national monument status for Mangarh Dham resurfaced on the opening day of the Assembly's monsoon session, with Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) MLAs staging a protest against the BJP governments at the Centre and in Rajasthan. The BAP legislators raised slogans demanding the creation of Bhil Pradesh and urged the government to accord national monument status to Mangarh Dham, regarded by tribal communities as a site of historic sacrifice. They warned that they would launch protests across the state if the Centre failed to grant the site national monument status. BAP also accused the BJP governments of going back on their promises. Dhariyawad MLA Thawarchand Damor said the party had repeatedly raised the demand in the Assembly and would continue to do so until Mangarh Dham was granted national monument status. "Mangarh Dham is a martyrdom site of the tribal community. More than 1,500 tribals were killed at Mangarh and their sacrifice has been ignored," said Damor. He said the site should not be treated merely as a hill but recognised as a place of historical sacrifice. Damor claimed that people were disillusioned with the government and would respond through the upcoming municipal and panchayat elections....