Shimla: Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu after Question Hour in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly over the alleged disrespect to the National Anthem. He accused the Chief Minister of making false statements and said that he must publicly apologise.
Jairam Thakur demanded that the Speaker release and show the video of the National Anthem played in the Assembly on August 21 so that the facts could be established and it could be clarified whether any BJP MLA had actually disrespected the National Anthem or whether the Chief Minister was making politically motivated allegations. He categorically stated that none of the BJP MLAs had disrespected the National Anthem.
The Leader of Opposition said that the actual disrespect to the national song had taken place during flag hoisting at the Congress headquarters on Independence Day. He also referred to the 1937 meeting of the Congress Working Committee, alleging that the national song Vande Mataram had been curtailed there. He asserted that the country would be governed by the Constitution and not by any directive of the Congress Working Committee. He demanded that the Chief Minister withdraw his allegations and immediately apologise to the House and the people of Himachal Pradesh.
Jairam Thakur said it was the first time in the history of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly that the Opposition was demanding that the House be allowed to function while members of the ruling party were walking out. He said that after the proceedings resumed at 2 p.m. following the morning disruption, the Speaker gave the Chief Minister an opportunity to speak. However, ruling party MLAs started walking out, followed by the Chief Minister, while all Opposition members remained seated in the House.
He said that when the ruling party members began raising slogans outside, BJP MLAs went to the Speaker’s office and staged a protest demanding that the House be allowed to function. However, according to Jairam Thakur, the Speaker adjourned the House until Monday under pressure from the Chief Minister.
Jairam Thakur said that the BJP Legislature Party had made it clear to the Speaker that if the video was not provided, it would explore other legal and constitutional options, including approaching the Governor and the courts. He termed the matter extremely serious and said the BJP Legislature Party was demanding the video recording of the National Anthem played at the beginning of the proceedings on August 21. He said the video clip was the property of the Legislative Assembly and elected representatives had a right to access it.
“We will once again expose the Chief Minister’s lies,” Jairam Thakur said, adding that the BJP Legislature Party had also written to the Assembly Secretary seeking the video clip, but it had not yet been provided. He questioned why the government was reluctant to release the video if the Chief Minister’s allegations were true.
Earlier in the morning, BJP MLAs staged a protest outside the Assembly while carrying placards alleging that Panchayati Raj Institutions were being weakened. The MLAs raised slogans demanding that the “political exploitation of Panchayati Raj Institutions” be stopped.
