Opposition BJP today staged a walkout in Himachal Pradesh Assembly following refusal of Speaker B B L Butail to allow a discussion on reports about possibilities of appointment of a deputy chief minister.
Soon after the House assembled, Rikhi Ram Kaundal of BJP referred to media reports regarding the possibility of appointment of deputy chief minister and wanted discussion on it.
Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh said "the news report is false, fabricated and planted and there is no truth in it."
However the BJP legislators insisted on discussion and raised slogans against the government. As the Speaker proceeded with the Question Hour, they staged a walkout.
Later, when the BJP members returned after the Question Hour, there was a tiff between party MLA from Dharampur, Mahender Singh Thakur and the government during a calling attention motion on the issue of linking sub-tehsil Tihra with Sandhol for administrative reasons.
Stating that the people of Tihra were facing difficulties and have to go to Sandhol for various works, he asked the government to make an arrangement so that their works get done locally.
Industries Minister, Mukesh Agnihotri said the government has constituted a committee under the chairmanship Divisional Commissioner, Mandi, which would give the report within 10 days. But the BJP MLA insisted the government take a decision in this regard then and there.
Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal said government can bring back the earlier arrangement wherein the sub-tehsil of Tihra was linked to Sarkaghat for administrative matters.
When Agnihotri replied that it was a matter of 10 days only, Thakur refused to relent and after some heated exchange he entered the Well of the House and other BJP members followed him.
Another BJP MLA Ravinder Ravi said that it was not a matter of one place only as such a problem was being faced by people in several other places too.
As the BJP legislators continued to raise slogans from the Well of the Assembly, three Bills (listed for discussion for today) were passed without discussion.
