‘Topi’ tussle in Himachal House

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh legislature on Wednesday witnessed angry scenes after the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party accused each other for flogging regionalism for political gains, even as the Himachali cap politics took the centre stage.

Replying to the debate on governor’s address, chief minister Virbhadra Singh charged the BJP of spreading regionalism and casteism for electoral gains.

“We have fought many elections against each other but caste, creed and regional issues were always exploited by the BJP,” said Virbhadra Singh.

The Opposition objected to the CM’s remarks and there was complete pandemonium in the House. However, the BJP members said the party has never followed regional or caste politics.

The war of the words between opposition and ruling party gained momentum as they dragged the colour of the Himachali cap to hit out at each other.

Virbhadra accused the BJP of discriminating the Himachali cap from the colour of bands.

“You discriminate the colours of caps,” said Singh, while he advised Congress legislators not to stick to one particular colour of the cap.

Usually, chief minister Virbhadra Singh wears Himachali cap with a green band and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal wears a maroon band cap.

“It’s you who differentiates between the colour of the cap. Why don’t you all wear different coloured caps,” he asked the BJP legislators.

Former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the difference does not lie in colour of the caps but the mindset.