Winter session off to a noisy start

The Speaker, while quoting rules of the House, rejected the motion moved by leader of the Opposition Virbhadra Singh and advised members to let the House first take up the question hour and then hold the discussion on the issues. He also informed that former Speaker Kaul Singh Thakur had also given a separate notice on two issues and had written to him asking to fix the discussion anytime after Monday next. Thakur said the notice was under his consideration but the Congress members did not budge.

Chief Minister P. K. Dhumal, who also intervened briefly to pacify the angry Opposition, announced that his government was prepared to discuss any matter of urgent importance in the House but certain norms were required to be followed for the discussion. He reminded that the Opposition, which consisted of two former chief ministers, two ex-speakers and parliamentarians like J. B. L. Khachi besides scores of former ministers, that dignity and decorum must be maintained while raising the issues.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs J. P. Nadda, earlier, opposing the Congress demand for suspension of the question hour under Rule 124 (8) of the rules of procedures of the Assembly, claimed that under the directives of the Speaker, motion could be taken up for discussion after the question hour. He blamed the opposition for unnecessary disruption of the proceedings. His contentions were strongly contested by Virbhadra Singh, leader of CLP, who insisted that rules provided for the suspension of the question hour.

Making his point in the House, Virbhadra Singh said he was not going beyond the rules framed by the Assembly and matters, which his party proposed to raise, warranted an urgent discussion. “People are crying, prices have gone high, law and order situation has deteriorated. Don’t you think these issues require discussion right now?” he questioned.

All Congress members, including former Chief Minister Ram Lal Thakur, were on their legs to press for the motion. When the Speaker did not accept their demand and decided to go ahead with the proceedings, the Congress MLAs started raising slogans.

Thakur first called the Congress members serial-wise to raise their listed questions but when none came forward he invited the Chief Minister and later the secretary of the Assembly to lay papers and inform the House about separate agendas listed against their names.

Noisy scenes continued to prevail in the House till the Speaker finished the business. However, just before he could formally adjourn the House, Dhumal and Nadda were called by the Speaker to make their points against role of the Opposition in the Assembly.

Slogan shouting did not end even after the Speaker had adjourned the House. Some ruling party members also followed suit and even sought to condemn the role of the Congress.