Tempers flare in Haryana Assembly as ex-Speaker levels RSS barb at Governor

This sparked a commotion, with several BJP legislators including Om Prakash Dhankar and Subhash Barala raising strong objections.

Speaker Kanwar Pal Gujjar intervened: “If the RSS’s agenda is to take our country to the No 1 position in the world, what objection do you have? I also belong to the RSS and I am saying here that I am proud to be an RSS worker.”

Gujjar also asked Sharma not to attempt to generate controversies out of nothing and focus on the Governor’s address instead.

Sharma then launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. “I have learnt that the Chief Minister is required to go to Delhi every evening, be it for finalising names of ministers, be it allotting portfolios or office rooms. He will again leave for Delhi to decide on allotting houses to the ministers. I have also learnt that the state government is also planning to buy an aircraft to suit these needs,” Sharma said.

On the alleged infighting and discontent among senior BJP leaders after portfolios were distributed, Sharma said, “This government looks strong only from the outside. But it is only a game of numbers and the opposition is coming from within the party.” He was referring to a newspaper report that Health Minister Anil Vij went to Khattar’s room on Monday evening and used “harsh language”.

Sharma also called Israna BJP MLA Krishan Lal Panwar a “migratory bird”. Panwar had quit INLD and joined the BJP before Vidhan Sabha polls. Panwar objected and urged the Speaker to initiate legal action against Sharma for allegedly threatening him during a previous Assembly session. Sharma challenged Panwar to get action initiated against him.

Vij accused the previous Haryana government of not taking adequate measures in the health sector. He said a “mental asylum should be opened and all the Congress legislators should be lodged there, because they have lost their mental balance because of their defeat in the recent Vidhan Sabha polls”.