BJP presses for Rule 67 debate; Speaker directs discussion under Rule 130
Shimla: The issue of employment and government guarantees triggered a heated confrontation between the ruling Congress and the BJP opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Monday, with both sides trading sharp remarks after Question Hour.
BJP MLAs sought a discussion under Rule 67, demanding that all other business be suspended to take up the issue of unemployment and employment-related guarantees. However, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania ruled that the matter would be taken up under Rule 130.
The proposal under Rule 67 had been moved by BJP MLAs Randhir Sharma, Hans Raj, Sudhir Sharma and Rakesh Jamwal through an adjournment motion.
The Speaker said proposals on the same issues had also been received under Rules 63 and 130. Since the adjournment motion concerned the same subject, the matter would be listed for discussion under Rule 130 instead of Rule 67.
BJP Insists on Immediate Discussion
BJP MLA Randhir Sharma insisted that the issue was directly linked to the youth of the state and was important enough to warrant an immediate discussion after suspending all other Assembly business.
He maintained that unemployment was a major concern and demanded a debate under Rule 67.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, however, said Rule 67 was meant for exceptional circumstances and should not be used routinely.
The remark triggered further exchanges between the two sides.
Deputy CM Targets BJP Over National Anthem Row
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri countered the opposition, questioning why the BJP had stretched the recent controversy over the national song and national anthem for 72 hours if unemployment was its most important concern.
Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur accused the ruling side of taking the opposition lightly.
“Unemployment is the biggest issue facing the state today,” he said, arguing that the House should allow a serious and immediate discussion on the issue.
Congress Defends Record on Guarantees
Harshwardhan Chauhan said the present government still had about one-and-a-quarter years remaining in its term and was working towards fulfilling the promises and guarantees made to the people.
He said the Congress government had fulfilled its promise of restoring the Old Pension Scheme in its first Cabinet meeting and was also working towards implementing its other guarantees.
The disagreement over the procedure for discussing unemployment and guarantees led to considerable uproar in the House, underlining the sharp political divide between the Congress government and the BJP opposition during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
