The opposition Congress walked out of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly during Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur's reply to the Governor's address on the fourth day of the ongoing budget session on Thursday.
The opposition Congress MLAs staged the walkout, raising the slogan 'chhor machaye shor' (thief is making noise). Unperturbed, the chief minister continued his reply.
The CM said the opposition members had been given adequate time for expressing their views on the Governor's address. If they were not satisfied with his reply, they could have raised questions but the walk out was not a welcome step in a democratic set-up, he said.
Earlier, the chief minister said, "Jan Manch Programme was one of the most successful programmes so far launched in Himachal Pradesh by any state government."
He said, "The opposition raised several adverse questions on JMPs and their worries showed it was the most successful programme."
The CM asked, "What is the harm in organising such programmes where a villager gets his or her minor works done at their doorstep."