BJP submits Memorandum to Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Demands Action Against Vidhan Sabha Speaker
Shimla – In a strong rebuke to the current state government, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur has sounded the alarm over what he describes as a deepening financial crisis in Himachal Pradesh. Thakur, submitted a memorandum with the Governor, warning that the state is teetering on the edge of an economic emergency, citing delays in salary payments to employees and pensions to retirees as evidence of the government’s dire financial situation.
Addressing the media, Thakur also levelled serious accusations against the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Kuldeep Singh Pathania, accusing him of biased and dictatorial conduct. Thakur claimed that Pathania’s behaviour not only damaged the dignity of the Speaker’s constitutional post but also hurt the sentiments of MLAs both inside and outside the Assembly.
Thakur elaborated that the Speaker’s actions have consistently favoured the ruling party, often disregarding parliamentary rules and traditions. “Whenever the opposition, particularly I, refer to the rules, the Speaker dismisses our concerns with statements like ‘I know everything; I don’t need to be taught,'” Thakur stated.
The controversy surrounding Pathania intensified following his recent remarks during a recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections against the MLAs. Despite MLA Indra Dutt Lakhanpal raising this issue in the Assembly, Pathania has neither retracted his comments nor expressed any regret. Instead, he made further “irresponsible comments” outside the House, according to Thakur.
In response to these developments, the BJP Legislative Party submitted a resolution under Rule 274, seeking Pathania’s removal from the Speaker’s position. Thakur criticized Pathania for taking his seat in the Assembly without waiting for the resolution to be presented, discussed, and voted upon, calling it a breach of parliamentary norms.
Thakur also highlighted the rejection of an adjournment motion under Rule-67, which the BJP had introduced to discuss the state’s worsening economic condition. He expressed frustration that the Speaker refused to allow a discussion on the issue, despite repeated requests from both Thakur and former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Vipin Singh Parmar. This led to the opposition staging another boycott of the Assembly session.
Underscoring the severity of the financial crisis, Thakur noted that despite it being September 2, the state government has yet to disburse salaries to its employees or pensions to its retirees. “This clearly shows that the state has reached the brink of economic bankruptcy,” Thakur declared, urging the Governor, Shiv Pratap Shukla, to take immediate and appropriate action in light of the current circumstances.
