BJP stages walkout as Assembly session ends on bitter note
DHARAMSHALA: The last day of the winter session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes as the opposition BJP staged a walkout, protesting the closure of institutions that were opened during their tenure.
Dissatisfied with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s response, BJP members raised slogans before exiting the House.
Leader of Opposition criticises government’s move
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur accused the ruling government of depriving children of their right to education by closing schools in areas with low enrollment. He alleged that over 1,100 primary schools had been shut down. “It’s not true that there were no students; children are now sitting at home. Your decision has denied them their right to education,” remarked Jai Ram.
Referring to the Chief Minister’s home district, Jai Ram said, “We are not against your decisions in your in-laws’ region, be it Chamba or Pangi. But you have committed a grave mistake by closing offices elsewhere. In Dehra (seat represented by CM’s wife Kamlesh Thakur), you have opened a Chief Minister’s office. If you were brave enough, you should have opened it in other areas too. But you shut offices in several places, which is unforgivable.”
The Speaker interrupted Jai Ram, urging him to keep his remarks brief. He retorted, “The truth is that the government’s decision is unjustifiable.”
Chief Minister defends closures, cites zero enrollment
Responding to the opposition’s allegations, CM Sukhu questioned the timing of the BJP government’s decisions. “Why did you open these institutions after April 1, 2022, during your last year in power? If you truly cared about public welfare, you should have opened them earlier. Our government closed only those institutions with zero enrollment — 675 schools in total,” Sukhu stated.
The Chief Minister accused the BJP of using the opening of institutions as a political gimmick, emphasizing that his government had taken rational decisions to ensure efficient use of resources.
Opposition states walk out
Unhappy with the Chief Minister’s explanation, BJP legislators shouted slogans and walked out of the Assembly. Outside the House, Jai Ram alleged that the current government had shut down 1,865 institutions opened by the BJP, including schools, health centres and administrative offices.
He contrasted this with the present government’s record, saying, “In two years, they have opened only 37 institutions and issued additional notifications for 103 others. The closure of so many institutions is a betrayal of public trust.”
The winter session concluded on a contentious note, highlighting the stark divide between the ruling and opposition benches over the issue of public services in Himachal Pradesh.
