Bindal speaks,Cong walks out of Assembly

Congress MLAs walked out after Health Minister Rajeev Bindal sought Speaker Tulsi Ram’s permission to reply to Congress MLA Prakash Chaudhry,who had referred to the upcoming multi-crore ESI hospital-cum-medical college at Ner Chowk in Mandi district.

The Congress MLA said that BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh had got the ambitious project due to the Congress-led government at the Centre. He added that despite this,the state government refused to give it due credit. Rajeev Bindal wanted to make some “clarifications” to this.

Prakash Chaudhary lodged a strong protest to Bindal’s intervention,asserting that the Congress had already taken a decision to boycott the minister in view of the party’s stand seeking his sacking from the cabinet. Thereafter,all Congress MLAs walked out of the House.

CLP Chief Sukhwinder Sukhu said three other MLAs — Nand Lal,Sohan Lal and Rajesh Dharmani — were also in the list of the MLAs to participate in the debate but because of Bindal,the party MLAs left the House. “It was really unfair to give an opportunity to the minister when MLA was making his point in the debate,” he told mediapersons later.

Earlier in the House,Gangu Ram Musafir launched a scathing attack on the BJP government based on corruption allegations and said that now senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar had also demanded that tainted ministers be dropped. He termed the Budget as “directionless and anti-farmer”.

“It will increase state’s debt burden as there are no steps listed to increase state’s resources. A very high allocation of Rs 4,454 crore are on either interest payments or debt repayments. The budget has disappointed all sections. In fact,in the past four years the BJP government has multiplied the miseries the people,employees,youths and common citizens. The time has come for the BJP to pack its bags and make way for the Congress’ return to power in upcoming elections,” he said.

Former minister and BJP MLA Roop Singh Thakur said the Budget has given a new direction to the state’s economy and hope to every section of the society. The Budget reflects prudent fiscal management and carrying on with ongoing programmes like ration subsidy scheme and polyhouse scheme. Thakur ridiculed the Congress for criticising the Budget just to score some political points.