BJP MLAs turn Himachal Assembly into symbolic auction yard to protest ‘unfulfilled’ apple price guarantee
- New Baddi SP who replaced IPS officer Ilma Afroz meets Himachal CM; long leave for ‘Lady Singham’ sparks debate - November 16, 2024
- Disqualified as CPS, is Himachal Assembly membership of 6 Congress MLAs now in danger? - November 16, 2024
- Ex-minister Bikram Thakur calls Himachal industry tour to Germany ‘wasteful expenditure’, says public issues being ‘ignored’ - November 15, 2024
The Newz Radar
DHARAMSHALA: On the concluding and fifth day of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly’s winter session at Tapovan in Dharamshala on Saturday (December 23, 2023), the BJP legislature party members led by Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur protested with boxes of apples in the Vidhan Sabha complex to remind the government of its “unfulfilled” guarantee of “choice rates” for the fruit produce.
The leader of opposition said that the Congress had given a “guarantee” that after coming to power, farmers and horticulturists would decide the prices of apples themselves. But after the formation of the government, when the farmers met Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi, he said that “such a system did not exist anywhere in the country”, said Jai Ram.
The former Chief Minister said that they would not let Congress forget these “false guarantees”. “You will have to do what you promised. We will not allow the people of Himachal to be deceived by the Congress,” declared Jai Ram during the protest.
Outside the Assembly gates, BJP legislators continued their vocal opposition to Congress’s alleged failure to fulfill its election guarantees, a theme that persisted throughout the five-day session. Chanting slogans and waving banners, the BJP members brought cartons filled with a few apples, conducting a symbolic public auction to underscore their grievances.
The BJP MLAs asserted that the Congress had guaranteed orchardists the autonomy to set apple prices before assuming power. However, they claimed that this assurance remained unfulfilled, resulting in farmers “discarding apples into drains”. Despite the intense protest, the morning question hour proceeded without any significant disruptions.
