Shimla: During the debate on the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress and the CPM in the assembly today, the ruckus intensified and the opposition staged a walkout even before Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur could answer the debate.
The no-confidence motion was defeated by a voice vote in the absence of 23 Congress-CPM MLAs, who had given notice under Rule 278 for the motion yesterday. A total of 10 members of the House, including three ministers, participated in the debate that lasted for more than four hours. Throughout the period there was sloganeering and heated exchanges with trade charges from both sides.
The no-confidence motion was defeated by a voice vote in the absence of 23 Congress-CPM MLAs, who had given notice under Rule 278 for the motion.
A total of 10 members of the House, including three ministers, participated in the debate that lasted a little over four hours.
Slogans and heated exchanges followed with trade accusations from both sides.
Responding to the no-confidence motion after Congress’s walkout, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the Congress had brought the resolution only to take political mileage into account of the elections. “The Congress is living in a fool’s paradise as it is hoping to return to power, but the people are very intelligent and will ensure their defeat,” he said.
He also cautioned the employees on the promises being made by the Congress on restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). “It is just a political gimmick like the announcements made by the Chhattisgarh CM even before the election manifesto was ready,” he said. He also accused the Congress of trying to hijack the fruit growers’ movement in view of the elections.
He said that the Congress has been wiped out all over the country and the party is crying bitterly after the ED questioned its leaders. Clarifying the position on the CBI probe into the police paper leak case, he said that on the request of the state government, the CBI has to take up the matter.
Hitting out at the government, CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri alleged that some private universities were using their land for real estate projects. He quipped, “I want to know what RERA is doing because private universities are giving advertisements in newspapers offering houses in the hills, without any agency checks.”
Agnihotri questioned the government’s failure to fix the accountability of senior police officers in the constable paper leak case. He said, ‘You completed the investigation and arrested 174 people but no action was taken against those responsible for conducting the examination. He accused the government of making backdoor entries bypassing the Himachal Public Service Commission and the Subordinate Selection Board.
Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania said that the Congress has no right to point fingers at others as the government had suffered a loss of Rs 700 crore due to the setting up of Beverages Corporation by the previous government. “You have no right to raise the issue of leasing out tourist properties because the wild flower was sold a little by the Congress regime,” he said.
Participating in the debate, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that there is rampant corruption in the BJP rule. “The chief minister should disclose the reasons for the sudden removal of the outgoing chief secretary as there were allegations of corruption against him,” he said. He claimed that many BJP MLAs and leaders are in touch with the Congress to switch sides.
CPI(M) MLA Rakesh Singha said that the opposition does not have the numbers to topple the government, but through this resolution there is an intention to raise issues related to the people. Others who participated in the debate included Industries Minister Bikram Singh, Ram Lal Thakur, Rajiv Bindal, Harshvardhan Chauhan and Sukh Ram Choudhary.
