Monsoon session of HP Assembly begins, BJP MLAs stage walkout

Shimla, Aug 22 (PTI) The six-day monsoon session ofHimachal Pradesh Assembly began on a stormy note here todaywith BJP MLAs staging a walkout alleging that Chief MinisterVirbhadra Singh’s reported remark against them was an "insultto democracy and the legislature". The BJP members asked Speaker B B L Butail to give hisruling on the privilege motion they had moved against thechief minister. They were referring to the reported statement of Singhabout the BJP MLAs on August 4. Amidst noisy scenes, the Speaker said he had received thenotice and that the issue should not be raised in the House.As the Speaker tried to persuade the BJP members, they startedraising slogans and staged a walkout. BJP Chief Whip Suresh Bharadwaj claimed that "the chiefminister has said barring two or three BJP members, others didnot deserve to be in the House". BJP chief spokesman Rajiv Bindal said Singh’s remark wasan "insult of the Assembly and the Constitution". When the chief minister intervened and denied having madeany such remark, leader of the opposition P K Dhumal hit backand said that "it has become a habit of the chief minister tomake such statements ahead of the session and laterbacktrack". Dhumal said that during the winter session, Singh talkedabout chopping off the fingers of MLAs, during the budgetsession he dubbed the BJP MLAs as "bonded labourers" and thistime again he has made derogatory remarks. When the chief minister claimed that he could never usesuch language against the MLAs and whatever has been publishedwas "planted story", Dhumal said "there is a method in hismadness". Meanwhile, the House made obituary references to formerMPs Bikram Singh and Vikram Mahajan and former MLAs Babu RamMandyal, Kuldeep Singh Chandel and Sita Ram, who died betweenthe inter-session period. PTI PCLSMN