Cong walks out of House over ‘discrimination’ against Dalits
Opposition members raise slogans against the Jai Ram government
SHIMLA: Uproarious scenes prevailed in the Himachal Pradesh assembly on Monday, the fifth day of the budget session, after the opposition Congress staged a walkout over alleged discrimination against Dalits in Balh of Mandi district.
Soon after question hour, Congress legislator from Rampur Nand lal raised the issue when speaker Vipin Singh Parmar rejected his demand stating that the opposition could raise the issue during the debate on governor’s address. Congress alleged that their voice was being suppressed.
The incident took place on February 29, when Chandramani, a resident of Tryamli village of Balh, had organised a religious function at his house. According to the police complaint, when the complainant’s family was preparing food, one Narender Kumar trespassed into his house and disrupted the programme by pouring water into the ‘chulah’.
He allegedly kicked the utensils containing food and also thrashed the cook.
Kumar passed caste-related derogatory remarks on Chandramani.
While raising the issue, Nand Lal insisted the government to register a first information report in the case under sections of the Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act . Kinnaur legislator Jagat Singh Negi termed the BJP government as anti -Dalits.
While condemning the incident, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said that an action will be taken against the accused after proper investigation is carried out. He said that a first information report is already registered in the matter and the police are in the process of obtaining the caste certificate from the victims.
The chief minister said that all the members in the House should work hand-in-hand to end caste discrimination in the state. While speaking of the Mandi incident, where three Dalit men were forced to leave religious feast during Shivratri fair, Thakur said a case has been registered against Dile Ram, Zila parishad members who are also office-bearers of Congress block unit.
Opposition members sloganeered against the government. After exchange of heated arguments with members of the BJP, opposition Congress staged a walkout of the assembly.
Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Bhardwaj condemned the walkout. While flaying the Congress, Jai Ram Thakur said that the Congress MLAs were doing this just to remain in headlines of the newspapers. He said that the members of opposition were competing with each other to rake issues in the House.
He added that the Congress was not acting in a civilised manner.
The Congress legislators returned to the House within a few minutes of the walkout and then raised slogans against the BJP government in the state. Later, both the BJP and congress resorted to sloganeering.