Speaker suspends 15 BJP MLAs as the party claims that Congress has lost majority after its legislators cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election…reports Asian Lite News
As many as 15 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs of Himachal Pradesh were suspended from the House by Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Wednesday allegedly for creating ruckus in his chamber.
The 15 BJP MLA’s who were suspended from the House include Jai Ram Thakur, Vipin Parmar, Randhir Sharma, Hans Raj, Vinod Kumar, Janak Raj, Balbir Verma, Lokinder Kumar, Trilok Jamwal, Surinder Shourie, Puran Chand, Dalip Thakur, Inder Singb Gandhi, Ranbir Nikka and Deep Raj.
The BJP legislators were suspended by the Speaker after the State Parliamentary party affairs minister Harshwardhan Chauhan moved a proposal recommending the expulsion of the MLAs from the house.
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly was adjourned till 12 pm amid disruptions, with opposition members staging protests in the well of the House.
The BJP, however, has dubbed this a move by the Congress to prevent its government from toppling ahead of the Budget session.
BJP’s winning Rajya Sabha candidate Harsh Mahajan said, “Congress Government is toppling. So such attempts are being made – to suspend them. These are delay tactics and are followed in every Vidhan Sabha…Congress has dismantled from here. All the attempts they make now will fail. BJP will form the Government here…Nine MLAs (who cross-voted) are in my support…”
In fresh trouble for the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, Vikramaditya Singh, a state minister and the son of the former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday stepped down from his position.
“All I would like to say is that under the current circumstances, it is not correct for me to continue as a part of the government. So, I have decided that I am resigning from the Council of Ministers. I am resigning as a minister,” Singh said.
The trouble for the government comes at a time when the Assembly’s annual Budget session is going on and ahead of voting on the state Finance Bill in the Assembly.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur who is an MP from the state says the Congress government had not fulfilled any of its promises.
“Congress formed govt in Himachal Pradesh by giving big and fake promises. After the formation of the govt, none of those promises were fulfilled. People used to ask questions when Congress MLAs went to their constituencies…they had no answers to give…no work was done, Congress’ own MLAs were facing a lot of difficulties …why did Congress MLAs abandon their party within 14 months, what was the compulsion? one of the reasons is that they gave ticket to a non-Himachali person” Anurag Thakur said.
The BJP is pressing for division voting on the passing of the Budget after it is introduced in the assembly. If Congress is unable to see the Budget through, the government in the state will fall.
The Congress has 40 MLAs while the BJP has 25 in the 68-member state assembly. Independents hold the remaining three seats.
“The government is in minority. Dictatorship is taking place. The government cannot get the Budget passed on division of votes, hence 15 BJP MLAs have been suspended in this manner. This has never happened before in the history of Himachal,” the BJP said in a press statement.
Meanwhile, six Congress Himachal Pradesh’s legislators who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election yesterday, arrive at the State Assembly in Shimla for the Budget Session.
All six of the rebel MLAs were staying at a hotel in Haryana since Tuesday left for Shimla for the Budget Session of the state assembly on Wednesday morning and were landed in Shimla by chopper.
Ravi Thakur, one of the Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election yesterday, arrived at the State Assembly in Shimla, when asked if he is with Congress or the BJP, he said, “BJP”.
The BJP is pressing for division voting on the passing of the Budget after it is introduced in the assembly. If Congress is unable to see the Budget through the government in the state will fall.
Congress rebel MLAs head to Shimla
Meanwhile, six Congress Himachal Pradesh’s legislators who cross voted in Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday and were staying at a hotel in Haryana left for Shimla for the Budget Session of the state assembly on Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had claimed that opposition leaders were obstructing the work of counting officials, and that “5-6 Congress MLAs were taken away in a convoy of the CRPF and Haryana Police.”
Meanwhile, members of the BJP Legislative Party led by Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday met Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla.
The meeting comes a day after the ruling Congress’s Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost the Rajya Sabha election to the BJP’s Harsh Mahajan despite the Congress enjoying a comfortable majority in the state assembly.
After meeting Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Himachal Pradesh LoP Jairam Thakur said, “We have informed the Governor about what happened in the Assembly…In the Assembly, when we demanded division of vote during the financial bill, it was not allowed and the House was adjourned twice. The way Marshals behaved with our MLAs was not right. We have a doubt that the Vidhan Sabha Speaker can suspend BJP MLAs and some MLAs of Congress who voted for BJP in Rajya Sabha elections, can also be suspended. Currently, the Congress government has lost the right to stay in power…”
Jairam Thakur further said that the state government has lost the ‘moral right to stay in power’ after it lost the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday.
The Budget Session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly has been convened for today. The BJP is pressing for division voting on the passing of the Budget after it is introduced in the assembly. If the Congress is unable to see the Bugdet through the government in the state will fall.
In a shocking political development in Himachal Pradesh, the ruling Congress’s Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost the Rajya Sabha election to the BJP’s Harsh Mahajan despite the Congress enjoying a comfortable majority in the state assembly. (ANI)
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