Sunil Chadha
Shimla: The ongoing monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Thursday (August 28, 2025) witnessed heated scenes as opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Raising slogans and accusing the Chief Minister of neglecting the state during its time of crisis, the opposition staged a dramatic walkout from the House. The BJP MLAs shouted slogans inside the Assembly, accusing CM Sukhu of prioritising political activity outside the state over the urgent needs of Himachal.
Among the chants that echoed through the hall were “Himachal mein haahakaar hai, CM Sukhu farar hai” (Himachal is in crisis, but the CM is missing) and “Himachal ki janta trast hai, Sukhu Bihar mein mast hai” (people of Himachal are suffering, while Sukhu is enjoying in Bihar).
The protest was triggered by Chief Minister Sukhu’s ongoing visit to Bihar, which the BJP claims reflects his “indifference towards the ongoing rain-induced disasters in Himachal”.
Over the past weeks, torrential rains, landslides and flashfloods have caused extensive damage across districts, crippling connectivity and displacing families. In this backdrop, the absence of the Chief Minister from the state has become a major flashpoint in the Assembly.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur had earlier in the day, at a press conference in Shimla, criticised Sukhu’s visit, stating that the “state requires leadership on the ground, not political tours elsewhere”. The slogans raised in the Assembly echoed this sentiment and intensified the opposition’s campaign to portray the government as insensitive and out of touch.
The uproar forced a brief disruption in proceedings, after which the opposition staged a walkout, leaving the ruling party benches to continue the session without them. Political observers note that such confrontations signal an intensifying battle between the ruling Congress and the BJP ahead of future elections.
With the monsoon fury still wreaking havoc across Himachal, governance and crisis management are expected to remain at the center of political discourse in the coming days. For the people of Himachal, however, the priority remains immediate relief and rehabilitation, a demand both sides of the political aisle claim to represent, but continue to clash bitterly over inside the Assembly.
