Uproar in Vidhan Sabha over delay in sharing info on legislators’ queries

Speaker Kuldeep Pathania today adjourned the house following uproar in the Vidhan Sabha during question hour.

As Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur today raised the issue of inordinate delay in furnishing information on the queries of legislators in the Vidhan Sabha, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh also remained adamant in making a statement on the losses suffered by the state during the current monsoons.

As the Speaker asked the CM to make a statement after the question hour, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that the Leader of the House must be allowed to make a statement. As both treasury and opposition MLAs traded charges, Pathania adjourned the house till 3pm. As such the question hour could not be taken up amidst the uproar.

Kuldeep Pathania assured the opposition that the government will furnish the information sought by them. “The chair has inherent powers under the Constitution which cannot be challenged anywhere and the MLAs also have immunity. Such questions in which information is being collected will be deemed to have been postponed,” said Pathania giving the ruling. The question will be listed tomorrow, he added.

Thakur said it is a very strange situation where replies to questions have not been provided during Assembly sessions during the last two years. “The questions listed by Vidhan Sabha secretariat have been removed from today’s business. Should elected representatives seek replies under RTI,” he said.

“The Speaker must provide protection to opposition and discretion should be used in rarest of cases, our rights are being violated,” he said. He said postponing the questions indefinitely has put a question mark on the independence of the Vidhan Sabha and the right of the MLAs are being violated and this cannot be tolerated.