The deadlock between the ruling Congress and Opposition BJP in the Himachal Pradesh assembly deepened on Saturday, with BJP legislators staging a protest outside Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania’s chamber, accusing him of failing to ensure the smooth functioning of the House.
He warned that failure to do so would force them to approach governor Kavinder Gupta and, if necessary, the high court to place their position on record.
Thakur said the Speaker had assured the Opposition that he would give his ruling at 2pm, but when the House resumed, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu began speaking and the situation again became tense. He said slogans were subsequently raised from the treasury benches, which, according to him, indicated that the ruling side wanted to prevent the House from functioning and force an adjournment. Justifying repeated adjournments, the assembly Speaker said that the disruptions had made it impossible to maintain order in the House. He said that after the initial interaction, the Opposition had raised the issue of the National Song, prompting him to clarify that the assembly begins with the National Anthem and concludes its proceedings with the National Song.
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur said that the BJP had repeatedly demanded that the video footage of the proceedings on Friday be displayed in the House or provided to the legislators. Pathania said the assembly began its monsoon session on Friday with the National Anthem after welcoming the new members.
