Shimla: Amid the ongaoing political crisis in Himachal Pradesh, chaos engulfed the state Assembly as Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania suspended 15 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs for allegedly disrupting proceedings on Wednesday.
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 suspended members refused to vacate the premises, with some staging a sit-in protest. Reports indicate that marshals were summoned to remove the MLAs. The suspension stemmed from purported disturbances in the Speaker’s chamber, escalating tensions within the legislative body.
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.
Amidst complete pandemonium and sloganeering, opposition MLAs moved to the well of the house. The Speaker ordered marshall’s to forcefully remove the 15 BJP legislators out of the house.
The drama escalated when the BJP MLAs climbed to the Speaker’s chair and threw their papers all around.
The Himachal Pradesh Assembly was adjourned till 12 pm amid disruptions, with opposition members staging protests in the well of the House. The house is yet to start with suspended MLAs staging protests.
“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.
The Congress has 40 MLAs while the BJP has 25 in the 68-member state assembly. The remaining three seats are held by independents.
