TNR Desk
The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha plunged into disarray as Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania expelled 15 BJP MLAs from the House on allegations of misconduct, escalating tensions in the state’s political arena.
The ruling party initiated a proposal under Rule 319 to disqualify the 15 BJP legislators, including Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, citing their purported “misbehaviour”. In response, Speaker Pathania issued a stern directive, ordering the 15 MLAs to vacate the premises, warning of forcible eviction should they refuse compliance.
The tumultuous scenes unfolded against the backdrop of the budget session, with the recent upset victory of BJP’s Harsh Mahajan against the state’s lone Rajya Sabha seat, attributed to cross-voting, casting a shadow over the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government.
Apart from Jai Ram, the 15 expelled BJP MLAs include Vipin Parmar, Randhir Sharma, Hans Raj, Vinod Kumar, Janak Raj, Balbir Verma, Lokinder Kumar, Trilok Jamwal, Surinder Shourie, Puran Chand, Dalip Thakur, Inder Singh Gandhi, Ranbir Nikka and Deep Raj.
As chaos reigned supreme within the legislative chambers, opposition leaders resorted to protesting in the well of the House and raised slogans. Speaker Pathania, confronted with the escalating discord, directed marshals to remove the suspended BJP MLAs forcefully, sparking further uproar among opposition ranks.
In a brazen display of defiance, the expelled BJP legislators mounted the Speaker’s chair and scattered his papers in defiance, underscoring the heightened tensions and breakdown of decorum within the Assembly halls. Despite the marshals’ efforts to restore order, the opposition leaders stood their ground, demanding written directives from the Speaker.
The volatile standoff reached a crescendo as BJP MLAs issued stern warnings to the marshals, cautioning against physical intervention while claiming that the Sukhu government could fall any time. Amidst the pandemonium and escalating hostilities, the Speaker adjourned the House, bringing a temporary halt to the tumultuous proceedings as the spectre of political upheaval continues to loom large over the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.
