The monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, which begins in Shimla on Friday, is likely to generate considerable political heat, with both the government and the Opposition gearing up to corner each other on issues concerning the public.
The BJP is particularly agitated over the state government’s move to register vigilance cases of different kinds against its leaders, including MLA Sudhir Sharma, who is facing a disproportionate assets case. The government, led by Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, is, however, strategically pushing ahead with its decisions on various matters.
The session, being held from August 21 to September 3, will have 10 sittings. The Vidhan Sabha Secretariat has so far received 1,036 questions from Congress and BJP MLAs, including 787 starred and 249 unstarred questions.
The questions largely relate to continuing vacancies in educational institutions, gaps in healthcare facilities, losses caused by the monsoon, poor road conditions and issues concerning the tourism, agriculture, horticulture and transport sectors. The Vidhan Sabha Secretariat said 13 calling-attention notices had also been submitted by MLAs under Rule 62.
In view of the heated political atmosphere, with the BJP accusing the Sukhu government of reviving the politics of vendetta in Himachal Pradesh, there is a strong possibility that the BJP may stage protests during the monsoon session.
For some time now, former Congress minister and BJP MLA from Dharamshala Sudhir Sharma has remained at the centre of political attention due to the vigilance case against him and his alleged controversial and indecent remarks against the Chief Minister over his decision to get a haircut at an ordinary shop in Chamba.
The issue may echo in the Assembly. The Chief Minister, who has largely been taking on the Opposition himself while his Cabinet colleagues have remained largely silent on several controversial issues raised by the Opposition in the public domain, appears prepared with facts and figures to counter the BJP.
The vigilance case against former MLA Hoshiar Singh, who joined the BJP during the current term and later lost the by-election to the Chief Minister’s wife; the inquiry into alleged irregularities in the Himcare healthcare scheme during the previous BJP regime; and the controversy over a free camp allegedly organised under pressure by Bharmour BJP MLA and neurosurgeon Dr Janak in the Chief Minister’s constituency of Nadaun may also figure in BJP protests during the session. However, the party will finalise its floor strategy at the legislature party meeting.
“The BJP can only shout, raise slogans and stage walkouts from the Assembly. I know they will do it again during the monsoon session and waste time. They should raise public-interest issues and use the session for meaningful debates. The government is ready for any kind of discussion, but these people do not prefer to sit inside and listen to the government,” Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said.
He said the state government had kept the monsoon session longer to provide elected representatives with an opportunity to raise issues concerning the people.
The Chief Minister has repeatedly raised the issue of what he describes as the Centre’s cold shoulder towards Himachal Pradesh and alleged that the state BJP has failed to take up the issue of pending promised funds with the Central leadership. His recent efforts to secure financial benefits for Himachal Pradesh from the Kishau Dam project may also come up for discussion during the Assembly session.
The BJP, on the other hand, may intensify its allegations that the government is reviving the “era of vendetta politics” in Himachal Pradesh. The party has alleged that the government is trying to fabricate cases against BJP MLAs and former BJP legislators to silence them, which, it says, will not happen.
“The Congress government has sensed its defeat in the next Assembly elections. That is why it is trying to target BJP MLAs. But this victimisation will go against the government because people know the reality,” Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said.
He said development had taken a back seat under the Congress government and had almost come to a standstill. “The Congress’s Vyavastha Parivartan has led to Vyavastha Patan in Himachal. The public is suffering badly. We are going to raise all the failures of the government during the monsoon session of the state Assembly,” he added.
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