BJP trying to muzzle voice of democracy: Virbhadra

Tribune Reporters

Solan, August 4

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the BJP government was trying to muzzle the voice of democracy by suspending 25 Congress MPs from Parliament.

The Chief Minister, who was here at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, said this while responding to media queries.

Earlier, he offered floral tributes to Dr YS Parmar, at his statute, on the occasion of his birth anniversary and flagged-off a mobile health clinic van. He also participated in the van mahotsav at the campus by planting a sapling.

He inaugurated a girls’ hostel which was completed with an outlay of Rs 2.50 crore and a high-tech floriculture farm completed at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

Virbhadra said a second hostel would also be constructed on the same pattern to facilitate girls’ students. He said all three universities in the government sector were imparting quality education to students and teachers should strive to produce high quality researchers and scholars. He said efforts would be made to make Himachal a role model of sustainable development in the country.

Giving details about the developmental activities, he said as many as 22 new colleges had been opened in the last two-and-a-half years, and a provision of Rs 5 crore each had been made for these colleges in the first phase, besides upgrading more than 750 schools in the state.

Sukhu lodges protest

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu staged a dharna here today against the suspension of 25 party MPs in Parliament.

Sukhu, accompanied by Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Sohan Lal and Rohit Thakur and MLAs Anirudh Singh, Ravi Thakur and Mohan Lal Brakta, HP Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh, DCC president (Rural) Kehar Singh Khachi and DCC, Shimla (Urban), Pradeep Singh Bhujja sat on a dharna in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the Ridge. PCC office-bearers and hundreds of party workers from the Youth Congress, Mahila Congress, Sewa Dal, PCC Legal Department also joined them.

Addressing party workers, Sukhu termed the suspension of 25 MPs of the party for five days a black day for the democracy and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to silence the voice of the Opposition on corruption instead of breaking his silence.

Sukhu said if Modi government thought that by suspending Congress MPs, they would be able to silence the voice of opposition on Lalit Modi scandal and Vyapam scams, the BJP government was wrong.

Suspension opposed

Una: The Congress launched a protest against the suspension of 25 party MPs. Led by district president Varinder Dharmani, activists raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government at Rotary Chowk.

Dharmani charged that the BJP was not willing to debate on the Vyapam and Lalit Modi episodes and Congress MPs, demanding a debate, were shunted out of the House. He said Modi had promised transparent governance to the people, but the decision to suspend the MPs was undemocratic and dictatorial. The activists also burnt the effigy of Modi.

Effigy burnt

Hamirpur: An effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set ablaze at Gandhi Chowk by the Congress leaders here today.

Speaking on the occasion, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, said the BJP-led government at the Centre had lost its popularity and resentment was prevailing among people in the country. He said it was unfortunate that the leaders of the Central Government were being deprived of their fundamental right to speak.

Condemning the act of suspension of 25 MP’s of the Congress party for five days, he said the Prime Minister was silent on the issues of corruption and those who were raising it in the house were denied to speak.

He said such government had no right to stay in power.

Lakhanpal said even the BJP leaders were making baseless accusations against CM Virbhadra Singh, who had been given a clean chit.