Shimla: On the second day of budget session, the Opposition today again disrupted the house and gave a notice for breach of privilege to the speaker against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for his reported “bonded labour” remarks against its legislators.
An soon as the session proceeding for the question hour, some opposition members entered house wearing aprons with caricatures highlighting corruption issues of the state, opposition started shouting slogans against the Chief Minister over his remarks, made during his press briefing on Monday.
Senior BJP legislature Suresh Bhardwaj raised the issue and accused Chief Minister for using derogatory remarks against opposition members.
Though, Chief Minister maintained that he had made no such remarks, but opposition members were unmoved and urged the Vidhan Sabha Speaker to take suo motu notice of the remarks, and staged a walkout a few minutes before the Question Hour ended. Thereafter Opposition members did not participate in the House proceeding.
Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail tried to pacify opposition, but his all affords were proved futile as opposition were adamant on their demand. Objecting the move of opposition of wearing aprons with caricatures, Speaker warned them to take action under Rule 299 of state assembly.
The Chief Minister objected to slogan-raising by the opposition. He accused opposition for conspiring to disrupt the assembly and termed it as a political strategy.
Virbhadra Singh also take a potshot at leader of opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal and stated that his family members were facing corruption charges and it had become a compulsion for opposition to disrupt the House as a probe into various wrongdoings of the previous BJP regime was progressing. Singh said that law will take its course and guilty will be punished as per law.
Parliamentary affairs minister Mukesh Agnihotri accused opposition for wasting valuable time of the house. He accused opposition for deliberately adopting obstructionist tactics.
