BJP MLAs meet Himachal governor; senior Congress leaders rushed to defuse crisis
The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Himachal Pradesh, Jairam Thakur, accompanied by BJP’s legislative party members, met Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla at the Raj Bhawan today as the Congress government teetered on the brink after a major setback in the Rajya Sabha elections.
“We have informed the Governor about what happened in the Assembly,” Thakur told reporters after the meeting. “When we demanded a division of votes during the financial bill, our request was denied, and the House was adjourned twice. The conduct of the Marshals towards our MLAs was unacceptable.”
The former chief minister raised apprehensions regarding potential punitive actions against some BJP legislators and those Congress MLAs who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha polls.
“We fear that the Vidhan Sabha Speaker may suspend BJP MLAs, as well as some Congress MLAs who supported BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections,” Thakur said. “It is evident that the Congress government has forfeited its legitimacy to remain in power.”
The Himachal Pradesh assembly was adjourned for the day on Tuesday amid disruptions by both the treasury and the Opposition benches. Thakur alleged that the government was running away from the division of votes as it had lost its majority.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, meanwhile, failed to keep his flock together in the Rajya Sabha elections as six MLAs cross-voted, resulting in an embarrassing loss for the Congress.
In the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly, the Congress has 40 MLAs while the BJP has 25 legislators. The six Congress MLAs voting for the BJP candidate have apparently set the stage for a no-trust motion in the assembly.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had to deploy senior leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and D K Shivakumar to defuse the crisis brewing in the hill state where the grand old party returned to power in December 2022.
BJP MLA Vipin Singh Parmar, who was part of the delegation that met the governor, hit out at the Speaker’s actions during Assembly sessions.
“Whenever a cut motion is proposed, it is customary for a debate to ensue, as it is the right of the opposition,” Parmar said. “However, the voices of the opposition were silenced, and when we approached the Speaker, we were met with aggression.”