Were resignations under pressure?’: Himachal Assembly Speaker issues notice to 3 Independent MLAs who resigned and joined BJP
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TNR Desk
Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania has issued notices to the three independent MLAs who recently resigned from the Vidhan Sabha.
The action follows 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). The ministers questioned the rationale behind their abrupt resignations, emphasising that the public had elected them for a full term of five years, and not just 15 months.
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 fueling calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their resignation.
Responding to the ministers’ concerns, Speaker Pathania has sought clarification from the three MLAs regarding the reasons behind their resignation. Despite this, their resignations have not been formally accepted. Acting upon the complaints lodged by the Congress ministers, Pathania has issued notices to the former Independent MLAs, giving them 10 days to respond. The Congress has reiterated its demand for a thorough inquiry into the factors prompting the MLAs’ resignations.
Given the current scenario, the Speaker retains the authority to make a final decision on the resignation of the independent MLAs only after receiving their responses. Consequently, the possibility of holding byelections remains on hold until their resignations are officially accepted.
All the three former MLAs joined the BJP last Saturday, with assurances of receiving the party ticket when byelections were held. Their support was instrumental in the BJP’s victory in the Rajya Sabha elections held on February 27 in Himachal Pradesh, where the party secured success with the backing of the independents and six rebel Congress MLAs.
Following the Rajya Sabha elections, the three independent MLAs along with the six Congress rebels had remained outside the state for almost a month. However, upon joining the BJP, they have now returned home.
Intriguingly, despite resigning from their positions, the MLAs have been appointed to various committees by the Assembly Secretariat Administration. KL Thakur has been assigned to three committees while Ashish and Hoshyar Singh are members of two committees each.
