Commotion prevailed on the first day of Winter Session of Himachal Pradesh Assembly here as Opposition BJP disrupted the House demanding debate on corruption charges against the Chief Minister, price hike, transfer-posting on forged documents among other issues.
As soon as the House commenced the proceeding, with Speaker Brij Biharilal Butail, asking the members to maintain decorum, BJP MlA Mahendra Singh said that a notice had been moved by Opposition demanding adjournment motion on the issue of corruption charges against the Chief Minister among other others. Singh said that 11 MlAs had signed the notice seeking adjournment motion.
Butail said that the notice given by opposition was still under consideration and only after proceedings of the House commence, decision on the notice would be taken.
Opposition MlAs protested and said that issues raised by them was of utmost importance and in public interest to which Butail later said that notice served had been sent to the Government and only after comments were received, any decision could be taken.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Agnihotri cited Rule 67 of the House and said that adjournment motions demanded by opposition under the said rule could be only on one issue and multiple issues could not be included. This led to verbal spat between opposition MlAs and Agnihotri despite the Speaker asking them to sit down on their seats.
Ravinder Ravi, senior BJP MlA, charged that the Government was trying to suppress the voice of opposition and shying away from debate which was so crucial in the wake of corruption allegations against Chief Minister and other Ministers. “Government is dictating the chair of Speaker on what to do and what not,” said Ravi.
leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal said that since the Speaker had announced that he has sent the notice to the Government for comments, this indicated that he had accepted the notice and unless and until debate was done on the issue raised, BJP would not allow the House to work.
Speaker Butail after listening to the arguments of leader of Opposition said that the notice given by the opposition MlAs was not in accordance with the rules of the House and could be said as nullified. He then asked House to proceed with the proceeding of the day.
This led to massive uproar with BJP MlAs going into the well of the House and disrupting the proceedings of the day amid sloganeering. Opposition even disrupted Chief Minister’s reply to a question and on the resolution moved by Himachal lokhit Party (HlP) MlA Maheshwar Singh on policy for construction of four lane National Highways in State.