Tapovan: As expected the winter session of the HP Vidhan Sabha began on a stormy note with BJP members staging a noisy protest after Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail rejected their adjournment motion over charges against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and other issues.
As the House assembled BJP MLA and former minister Mohinder Singh urged the Speaker to take up an adjournment motion for which a notice had been given by the party members. But when speaker rejected their adjournment motion, BJP members stagged protest and even trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans throughout the sitting.
Speaker clarified that he had received the notice at 12.30 pm and it was under consideration and he would give his ruling afterwards. Thereafter, BJP members joined the issue and insisted that serious charges had been levelled against the head of the government and there were several important matters which required to be discussed immediately.
Leader of the Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal said the issues were important and interconnected as inflation and unemployment were related to corruption. The notice should have been either rejected at the outset or accepted. He said that the Speaker had to take a call and decide the matter forthwith.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Agnihotri pointed out that under the rules, only one important issue could be discussed during the adjournment motion, but the BJP members had clubbed several issues and it could not be allowed. Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur also intervened and asked Opposition to follow rules.
The Speaker finally rejected the notice for the adjournment motion and ruled that it was not as per the rules. Instead of taking up a single matter, four or five issues had been clubbed and it could not be allowed.
This further infuriated the BJP members and they started raising slogans. The Speaker proceeded with question hour and completed the listed business amid the noise of slogans.
Later speaking to the press members, Prem Kumar Dhumal said the BJP would continue with its protest until the issues being raised by it were discussed. Dhumal accused that the ruling party was shying away from discussion on important issues. He said that ruling party will have to give answers on the issue of corruption, political vendetta and functioning of the government.
However, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh rejected all allegations of opposition and while talking to the press, he stated that the Govt would not be cowed by protests and would ensure to investigate the charges against the Dhumal regime and taken to a logical conclusion. He accused BJP for disrupting house and termed BJP a fascist party with the dictatorial mindset. He stated that BJP didn’t believe in debate, discussion and democratic functioning.
