Heated exchanges in Himachal Assembly over minister's remarks on RSS opposition storms well

Dharamshala (HP), Nov 28 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh Assembly witnessed stormy scenes on Friday with opposition BJP members demanding that an earlier remark by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi against the RSS be expunged from the proceedings.
     Members of the Opposition stormed the well of the House and raised slogans demanding an apology from the minister over alleged disparaging remarks made during discussion on an adjournment motion on deferring the panchayat polls on Thursday.
     The Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur wanted to raise the issue before the question hour but the Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania did not allow it, prompting agitated BJP members to troop into the well of the House.
     The speaker adjourned the house for 25 minutes as pandemonium prevailed.
     Raising the issue after the question hour, Jai Ram Thakur said the revenue minister's remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were derogatory and out of context, and its language was intemperate.
     "The remarks should be expunged and the minister should tender an apology," he demanded.
     "The minister is destroying the entire government machinery and his actions are causing embarrassment to the government but the chief minister was not in a position to question or stop him," Thakur said, adding that the RSS, established in 1925, has played a pivotal role in serving the nation.
     Defending Negi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said the revenue minister's remarks were against an organisation and not any individual, and BJP members should not take it personally.
     He said it was usual for political parties to criticise other organisations.
     Former Vidhan Sabha Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar (BJP) described the remarks by Negi as 'unfortunate' and said the comment was made against a body which is not present in the House.
     He said Negi was tarnishing the image of the chief minister and the Congress.
     Intervening in the matter, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the Opposition was harbouring ill-will against Jagat Singh Negi and whenever he speaks, the opposition walks out.
     He said disrupting House proceedings has become a habit for the Opposition.
     Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said he would review the revenue minister's remarks regarding the RSS and if anything untoward is found, it would be expunged.
     He said he has already ruled that uncalled for and out of subject remarks would not go into House proceedings.
     During the discussion on the adjournment motion for the past two days, he had urged members to focus solely on the Panchayati Raj elections, but most members made comments that went beyond the topic, he said.
     Later, the speaker adjourned the House for the day ahead of schedule due to lack of quorum during discussion on private member's resolutions.
     As soon as BJP MLA Inder Dutt Lakhanpal stood to move his resolution, the speaker said he was adjourning the House till Monday as the quorum was incomplete.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)