The deadlock in the Himachal Pradesh assembly between the opposition BJP and the ruling Congress continued Monday for the fourth day with the former demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
The BJP members repeated their demand that all work in the house be suspended to discuss proceedings in Delhi High Court regarding the probe into alleged money laundering case against the chief minister.
As the house assembled in the afternoon, Speaker B.B.L. Butail requested the members to allow the house to continue with its agenda.
"The matter is sub-judice and law will take its own course. Please allow the house to continue with its work," he said.
Immediately thereafter, BJP member Suresh Bhardwaj stood up and asked the speaker that the party's notice for an Adjournment Motion was rejected though the chief minister was allowed to give reply on the issue about the court proceedings.
"We will follow all the rules. We have sought discussion. If the chief minister was allowed to make a statement in the house on the same issue, then how can you deny a discussion on that issue," he said.
Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal said, "How the chair allowed the chief minister to speak on the issue, which was rejected by the chair terming it as sub-judice".
The speaker refused to relent on the demand of the BJP, saying "he would not allow the discussion on the issue that is pending in the high court and other courts".
This agitated the BJP members, who started raising slogans. Even treasury benches raised counter-slogans.
As the speaker proceeded with the Question Hour, the BJP lawmakers staged a walkout from the house.
Condemning the walkout, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the opposition, including Leader of Opposition (Prem Kumar Dhumal) has made it a habit to intentionally disrupt the proceeding of the house.
"It's all right once in a session. Every day the same scene is being repeated which is a contempt of this house," he said.
"The matter is sub-judice. It's for the court to decide. It's not for Prem Kumar Dhumal to decide. He and his sons (including Member of Parliament Anurag Thakur) are also being charged in two cases in the sessions court in Dharamsala," he said.
"We have not raised the issue. We can also raise that issue where property worth crores and crores from the state has been passed to his son in the name of cricket. I don't want to raise this issue on the floor of the house," the chief minister said.
Virbhadra Singh asked the speaker to expunge derogatory remarks from the house proceedings.
Speaker Butail said he could expunge the remarks but not the slogans.
