Why Himachal ex-CM Jai Ram Thakur visited Independent MLA

TNR Desk

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur visited the residence of Independent MLA Ashish Sharma in Hamirpur even though the stopover was not in his official tour programme.

Political analysts say that the visit was meant only to boost the morale of Ashish and other two Independent legislators who have submitted their resignations but the Assembly Speaker is yet to accept these.

Wasn’t on his itinerary

Jai Ram’s visit came when the BJP had deputed him to attend a party function in Gagret (Una), which was organised to welcome disqualified Congress rebel MLA Chaitanya Sharma on his homecoming for the first time after joining the BJP. But the former CM added another stopover to his itinerary at the last moment, leaving many surprised, say sources.

Senior Himachal BJP leader Bikram Thakur too has been extending similar support to the three Independent MLAs and the six disqualified Congress rebel MLAs as he remained with them throughout their journey. The nine MLAs remained out of the state since they voted in favour of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the recent Rajya Sabha poll. They were first kept under CRPF security in a Panchkula hotel, then in Rishikesh and finally in Gurugram.

Speaker’s notice to 3 MLAs

Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania two days ago issued notices to the three independent MLAs, seeking to know the rationale behind their abrupt resignations and emphasising that the public had elected them for a full term of five years, and not just 15 months.

The action followed complaints from Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi and Education Minister Rohit Thakur regarding the resignations of MLAs Hoshyar Singh (Dehra), Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur) and KL Thakur (Nalagarh).

Reply sought in 10 days

Allegations surfaced suggesting that the resignations were made under pressure from the BJP. It was revealed that the MLAs were flown from Delhi to Shimla via helicopter, accompanied by BJP leaders, further fuelling calls for an investigation into the circumstances leading to their resignation.

Responding to the ministers’ concerns, Speaker Pathania has sought clarification from the three MLAs regarding the reasons behind their resignation, giving them 10 days to respond. The Congress has reiterated its demand for a thorough inquiry into the factors prompting the resignations.