S Gopal Puri
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Friday witnessed fresh friction between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP after Congress legislators submitted a privilege motion against BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma.
The lawmakers accused Sharma of attempting to malign Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s image and misleading the public by circulating internal Assembly correspondence on social media.
According to Congress members, Sharma had written a letter to the Speaker on certain issues but later shared the communication publicly before any decision was taken on whether the matter would be referred to the Privilege Committee.
The Congress MLAs argued that making such correspondence public at this stage not only breached Assembly traditions but also undermined constitutional decorum.
“Until the Speaker takes a decision, no member is supposed to disclose such communications. By putting it in the public domain, the BJP legislator has shown disregard for legislative norms,” Congress members said in their submission to the Speaker.
The ruling party termed Sharma’s action as “a deliberate attempt to damage the Chief Minister’s image” and “create confusion among the people.”
They urged the Speaker to take strict action under privilege rules, maintaining that any leniency would set a dangerous precedent and erode the dignity of the House.
“The behaviour of Sudhir Sharma amounts to breach of privilege and is against the sanctity of legislative procedure.
This is not just about one letter, but about protecting the honour and credibility of the institution,” the Congress MLAs contended.
The issue has now been formally placed before the Speaker, who will decide whether to refer the matter to the Privilege Committee for further examination.
If admitted, Sharma could face proceedings under Assembly rules, which range from censure to more serious punitive action.
The development has added to the already charged political atmosphere in the state Assembly, where the Congress and BJP have been trading barbs over governance, financial management, and disaster preparedness.
With both sides unwilling to back down, the privilege motion is likely to trigger further acrimony.
