Ruckus over funds, Cong stages walkout
SHIMLA: Clamour continued in the Assembly on Thursday as the Opposition created ruckus over non-reservation of jobs for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and no allocation of funds from the SC/ST component plan.
The Congress had given an adjournment notice under Rule 67 to discuss the issue on the penultimate day of the ongoing monsoon session.
However, as soon as the subject was brought up, the Opposition and treasury members engaged in a heated exchange even as Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar kept urging them to let the discourse proceed smoothly.
The issue was raised by Congress legislator Jagat Singh Negi, who demanded that it be discussed by adjourning the remaining House proceedings. He alleged that the state government was not concerned about the issues of Dalits and tribals. He called it discrimination and it led to a huge uproar from the BJP members. Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Bhardwaj argued that all matters cannot be discussed under Rule 67. On this, leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri said the House should discuss the issue raised by the Congress member.
Soon, others from the Opposition started shouting slogans and when Negi claimed that they are not being heard, the former walked out of the house.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said since the beginning of the session, the Opposition had been creating unnecessary hullabaloo.
He said that earlier Congress members had demanded to start the session without delay and when it was, they began running away from the discussion.
Since the Speaker had already ruled that more than one subject could not be discussed under Rule 67, the Opposition should not have staged a walkout, the CM said.
He said usually only one serious and urgent topic can be discussed under the rule and that has already been done. “It is totally wrong for the Opposition to make such remarks that only one side is being heard.”
Claiming that the government was in full cooperation and answering all questions, the CM said there is not a single subject to which the former has not responded. Bhardwaj said as a parliamentary affairs minister he has to talk to the Speaker and Secretary on many topics related to the functioning of the House and whatever happens in the chamber is not discussed in the House.
He argued that the discussion sought by Negi could have been held under any other rule, but not Rule 67, as the most pressing matter of Covid-19 has already been discussed under it.