Dharamshala/Shimla (HP) Nov 27 (PTI) After a heated exchange between the ruling Congress and the BJP in Himachal Pradesh assembly, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania ruled on Thursday that adjournment motions in the House will be limited to a single day.
He said adjournment motions under Rule 67 will be tabled only after the Question Hour, and the other business listed for the day would be deemed as tabled.
On Wednesday, an adjournment motion by the BJP was tabled in the assembly for a discussion on the deferment of panchayat and urban local body polls in the state.
While the ruling party wanted to continue with the discussion on Thursday — as per the scheduled business — the opposition changed tack and demanded that the Question Hour be held before it.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, however, moved a motion for the discussion on the adjournment motion to resume straight away.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu seconded the motion and pointed out that the BJP had stalled all business the day before, pushing for the discussion on panchayat elections.
He said the other business of the House should be tabled, as it was on Wednesday, and the election discussion should continue right away. He also reminded the opposition that it had opposed the Question Hour the day before, favouring immediate discussion on the adjournment motion.
Asserting that the government was ready for the Question Hour, Sukhu said the adjournment motion should be withdrawn if the House was going ahead with the former.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the government was setting the agenda “as per its convenience”, as it didn’t have answers to the opposition’s questions. He demanded that the Question Hour, which was on the agenda for Thursday, be held, and the adjournment motion should be discussed afterwards.
Thakur said that the opposition would not function “as per the chief minister’s convenience” and would go by the rules.
He asserted that they were serious about discussing the adjournment motion and asked the chief minister to refrain from advising the opposition.
BJP MLA Bikram Thakur questioned why the government was “afraid of the Question Hour”.
Following the ruling of the Speaker, peace was restored, and the House resumed the discussion on the adjournment motion. PTI COR BPL PRK PRK
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