BJP protests stoppage of MLAs discretionary grants

Minutes before the beginning of the second day proceedings of the House during the winter session in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Thursday, the BJP MLAs staged a protest on the Assembly premises, accusing the state government of withholding discretionary grants of the legislators.

Holding placards and raising slogans, the legislators led by Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur demonstrated against the alleged failure of the government to release MLA Area Development Funds.

Thakur said that the stoppage of funds was adversely affecting development works in the Assembly constituencies across the state and accused the government of adopting “discriminatory and vindictive” policies.

Jai Ram Thakur accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who is also the Finance Minister, of pushing the hill state into a fiscal mess. “The CM is directly responsible for the fiscal crisis in the state”, he alleged.