Shimla, August 22: Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Friday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over the alleged disrespect to the National Anthem in the state Assembly, accusing the Chief Minister of making false allegations against BJP legislators and demanding a public apology.
Thakur urged the Assembly Speaker to release the video recording of the National Anthem sung in the House on August 21, saying it would clarify whether any BJP MLA had actually disrespected the anthem or whether false allegations were being made for political reasons.
“We have clearly stated that no BJP MLA disrespected the National Anthem. This is a serious matter and the video should be released to establish the truth,” Thakur said, adding that the BJP had strongly protested the allegations both inside and outside the Assembly.
The Leader of the Opposition claimed that the Chief Minister would have to publicly apologise for his statements. He also alleged that the Congress had a history of disrespecting the National Song, Vande Mataram, and referred to past decisions of the Congress Working Committee.
Thakur said that the country would be governed by the Constitution and not by the decisions of any political party. He demanded that the Chief Minister withdraw what he described as baseless allegations and apologise to the House and the people of Himachal Pradesh.
Thakur further claimed that the Congress government was avoiding the issue by refusing to release the Assembly footage. He said the BJP legislature party had written to the Assembly Secretary seeking the video clip and warned that the party would explore other legal and constitutional options if the footage was not provided.
He said the BJP may approach the Governor and, if required, the court over the matter. Thakur maintained that the video clip was the property of the Assembly and that elected representatives had the right to seek access to it.
“If the allegations are true, there should be no hesitation in releasing the video. If not, the truth must be placed before the public,” he said.
The Leader of the Opposition also criticised the ruling Congress for walking out of the House, claiming that it was unprecedented for the Opposition to demand that the Assembly function while members of the ruling party left the House.
According to Thakur, after the Assembly proceedings resumed at 2 pm following disruptions, the Speaker gave the Chief Minister an opportunity to speak. However, ruling party MLAs allegedly began leaving the House, followed later by the Chief Minister, while BJP legislators remained in their seats.
Thakur claimed that when ruling party members began raising slogans outside the House, BJP MLAs staged a protest outside the Speaker’s office demanding that the Assembly proceedings be allowed to continue. He alleged that the House was later adjourned until Monday.
Earlier in the day, BJP MLAs also staged a protest while heading to the Assembly, carrying placards and raising slogans against the state government over alleged attempts to weaken Panchayati Raj institutions.
The legislators raised slogans demanding an end to what they described as the “political exploitation” of Panchayati Raj institutions.
Thakur said the BJP legislature party would continue to demand the release of the Assembly video and would seek to establish the facts surrounding the allegations over the National Anthem.
