Logjam over debate on law, order

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 23

Pandemonium prevailed in Himachal Assembly on the second day of the monsoon session as the opposition BJP members insisted on admission of their adjournment motion and discussion on law and order situation under Rule 67. The House was adjourned twice for 15 minutes and then finally adjourned for the day as the BJP members refused to relent and discuss the matter under Rule 130.

Immediately after the obituary reference to mourn the death of former member Balwant Negi, BJP member Suresh Bharadwaj raised point of order and wanted to know the fate of his adjournment motion and said that the Kotkhai minor rape and murder case was not the only case and cases of heinous crimes like rape are continuing.

Asserting that the law and order situation was deteriorating, he said that the matter should be discussed under Rule 67 as another rape has taken place in Sarkaghat yesterday but Speaker BBL Butail rejected the plea and said that the matter be discussed under Rule 130, provoking the BJP members who started raising slogans.

As repeated requests by the Speaker to maintain order failed to pacify the BJP members, he adjourned the house for 15 minutes. After the House reassembled, Congress member Asha Kumari, who was in the chair, adjourned the House.

When the House met again, the unrelenting BJP members sought discussion under Rule 67 and heated exchanges between the opposition and Treasury Benches ensued. They insisted that the issue of worsening law and order situation in Himachal was most important issue that required urgent attention of the House. But the matter was being treated as a normal discussion in the last under some other rule, they rued.

“The government has failed to do its primary duty of protecting the lives and property of people and the women are insecure in the state,” he alleged.

Intervening in the matter Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Agnihotri told the BJP members that the discussion was listed under Rule 130 and there were other important issues like deaths in rains during monsoon, provoking the BJP members who asked the Speaker to allow adjournment. The BJP members also raised objection to the listing of the law and order discussion at the fag end of the day.

The Speaker said that the discussion cannot be allowed under Rule 67, if other devices are available and added that said it seems that the BJP members were not interested in the discussion.

Amidst uproarious scenes, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh too intervened and had heated exchanges with some opposition members.

Earlier, BJP member, Suresh Bhardwaj took strong objection to the second adjournment of the House for 15 minutes by Congress member, Asha Kumari from the Speaker’s chair. He said the BJP had moved a resolution, seeking suspension of the member as she sat on the Speaker’s chair without permission. But the Speaker said that she had done so with his permission and matter ended.

As the agitated BJP members continued slogans shouting, trooped into the well of the house, rushed towards the chair and started thumping the Speaker’s table, Speaker adjourned the house for the day.

Earlier, the House made obituary reference to Balwant Singh Negi, a former nominated member of the House who died on August 21 at the age of 88 years. He was nominated member of the state Assembly in 1963 from Kinnaur and rendered valuable services, Chief Minister said while making the obituary reference.