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How a long story is unfolding in Himachal’s short Assembly sessions

As LoP Jai Ram Thakur takes potshots at CM Sukhvinder Sukhu over the coming 4-day Winter Session, his record in power was little better

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur last week slammed the Congress government terming the Assembly "the shortest in the history of the state” and accusing it of being "afraid to face the Opposition". (X)

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur last week slammed the Congress government over the upcoming four-day Winter Session of the Assembly starting December 18, terming it “the shortest in the history of the state” and accusing it of being “afraid to face the Opposition”. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has defended the move, saying four days would give ample time to raise and discuss issues provided the BJP did not resort to sloganeering and staging walkouts.

However, when it comes to short House sessions, the BJP government led by Thakur between 2017 and 2022 was no better. Having come to power in December 2017, the Thakur government held its third Assembly session for four days in 2018, between December 9 and 12. Similarly, in 2020, the Winter Session in the BJP government was held for five days between December 7 and 11. The Thakur government’s last Assembly session – the 2022 Monsoon Session – also lasted four days, between August 10 and 13. In between, the 2021 and 2019 Winter Sessions were held for six days each.

The Sukhu government has continued this. Last year’s Winter Session was a five-day affair, between December 19 and 23. Before that, just after forming the government in December 2022, the Sukhu government convened a three-day Session, where the MLAs took oath.

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Himachal Pradesh has a 68-member Assembly, with the Congress having 40 MLAs and the BJP’s strength is 28.

Asked about the short Sessions, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said: “As Speaker, my job is to notify what the government proposes. It is the duty of the government as well as the Opposition to set the agenda for the House. If they want to work, even four days are enough. I am ready to run the House till 10 pm if they ask me to.”

Pointing out that Himachal Pradesh holds among the highest number of House sittings annually, along with Kerala, Pathania said Haryana and Punjab Assemblies convene for two-day sessions usually. “With the Lok Sabha elections this year, most states have had short sessions and Himachal is no different,” he added.

Thakur has also questioned the timing of the upcoming Session due to Sukhu’s likely absence for a part of it. “Reports suggest that the CM will not even be present for two of these four days. What is the point of holding such a Session? Shouldn’t the Session be scheduled based on the CM’s availability? The Assembly is meant for discussing public issues and finding solutions to the state’s problems. Conducting a session just to fulfill a quorum is condemnable,” the Leader of the Opposition said.

The Opposition is just resorting to “politics of words”, Sukhu said. “For instance, take ‘samosa or even ‘murga’ (rows raised by the BJP). They have a PhD in this,” the CM said.

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What do the rules say?

Article 174 of the Constitution states that two sittings of state Assemblies should not be more than six months apart. However, it does not prescribe the maximum or minimum number of days per sitting.

In 2002, a committee was constituted to look into improving the efficiency of legislatures. The panel recommended that Assemblies with less than 70 members should meet for at least 50 days in a year while those with more than 70 members should convene for 90 days.

Himachal Pradesh has a 68-member Assembly, with the Congress having 40 MLAs and the BJP’s strength is 28.

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Himachal Assembly

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