Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 19 (ANI): The opening day of the monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly witnessed sharp exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches as the House took up an adjournment motion under Rule 67 for discussion on the recent natural disaster.
Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur accused the Congress government of trying to “grab the relief material sent by the BJP and people from across the state to take credit.”
He alleged that ration airdropped in disaster-hit areas was “stacked at the house of a Congress leader,” and BJP-sent relief trucks were stopped at check posts and pressured to hand over supplies to local officials.
“The attitude adopted by the government in this disaster is very unfortunate. The Chief Minister talks of losses running into thousands of crores, but for road restoration, he gave only ₹2 crore. Roads remain blocked even after 45 days. We had to get them restored using private JCBs,” Thakur told the Assembly.
The Opposition leader also alleged that “leaders enjoying government patronage have turned disaster into an opportunity and crossed all limits of corruption,” adding that BJP-restored roads were being used to push tenders in the names of Congress leaders.
The debate took a heated turn when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, while opposing the adjournment motion, remarked: “Aasman nahi faat jayega” (the sky will not fall). The BJP MLAs shouted in protest, saying, “Aasman to fata hai, tabhi itna nuksaan hua hai.”
Jai Ram Thakur objected strongly, accusing the minister of trivialising a tragedy in which “many people have lost lives, homes, land and livestock.”
Before agreeing to the motion, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reminded the Opposition how the BJP had staged a walkout during a similar debate in 2023. On the recent FIRs registered in Seraj constituency against BJP leaders following an attack on the vehicle of the Revenue Minister, Sukhu told the House.
“The government will withdraw the FIRs if they apologise. Attacking the minister’s vehicle, disgracing the national flag and insulting the national emblem is a disgrace to the nation.” Thakur said.
Later, speaking to ANI outside the Assembly, Jai Ram Thakur reiterated that the government was not serious in handling the disaster.
“The tragedy in Himachal has caused huge loss of life and property. This issue must get priority, yet the government tried to avoid discussion on the first day of the session. It shows they are not serious. People have lost family members, homes, land and livestock, and rehabilitation must be the top priority. Instead, the Congress is politicising the disaster,” he said.
Thakur urged the government to expedite restoration, prepare detailed project reports without delay, and seek maximum assistance from the Centre. He also called for identifying disaster-prone zones, setting up shelter homes and pre-fabricated structures to house displaced families before winter.
Following the death of a newborn baby at Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH), Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday night visited the government-run hospital and took stock of the situation.
The Assam Chief Minister told the media, “Today, a newborn baby died in a children’s ICU at GMCH. I visited the GMCH. It is a very painful incident. A three-member inquiry committee has been formed. Despite the availability of machines, three newborn infants were kept in a single bed machine. The weight of the deceased girl infant was 3.7 kg. I have requested the suspension of the nurse who was on duty at that time. Whatever we have, the CCTV footage, we will conduct the probe neutrally.”
On the other hand, talking about the verdict of the Gauhati High Court on encroachment in forest lands in the state, the Chief Minister said that – “Today the Gauhati High Court has delivered a historic judgement. The Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court said that the government should bring a stern regulation to prevent new encroachment. The government should take action against those government officers under whose watch a large-scale encroachment occurred in forest lands. The large-scale encroachment occurred from 2006 to 2014. Secondly, the Chief Justice said that the eviction drive notice should be issued for 15 days, not 7 days. The division bench has also given a guideline for the future. After this verdict, we will bring our fight forward to free the forest lands from encroachment. The High Court had already given judgment on VGR/PGR lands and government revenue lands. Following this verdict, we have become more powerful, and in the coming days, we can conduct additional eviction drives. Today’s verdict has halted the Congress party’s announcement that they would return the lands after forming the government. This government will not compromise.”
He also mentioned that some individuals from outside Assam have entered the state, including those who visited during the NRC process and attempted to cause disturbances. If anyone tries to do such a thing again, I warn them that they will be arrested here. During the NRC process, they exploited the same names, using one person’s name to portray him as a father of another, despite the lack of a genuine relationship. Now, many cases have come to light, and over the last 5 years, we have become aware of numerous such cases. We are now ready to tell all the facts before the Supreme Court. We are now fully alert to prevent these.” (ANI)
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