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Himachal assembly monsoon session: Congress, BJP to move privilege motions as row over ‘insult’ to National Anthem escalates
Escalating the row over the allegations of disrespect to the National Anthem, both the ruling Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will move privilege motion.
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Escalating the row over the allegations of disrespect to the National Anthem, both the ruling Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will move privilege motion.
Speaking in the assembly on the fifth day of the monsoon session, leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday said the BJP would move a privilege motion against chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over his accusation that BJP members disrespected the National Anthem.
“The CM had accused the BJP of disrespecting the National Anthem on August 21 which later turned out to be untrue on examining the video footage of the proceedings of the day. The CM should apologise for the same.”
Thakur said he and other BJP legislators had watched the video to see if they had inadvertently made any mistake while singing the anthem. He claimed the footage showed that all BJP members had sung the anthem with due respect.
“The CM, however, falsely accused us of disrespecting the National Anthem. The Congress even held protests at district headquarters accusing us of showing disrespect. We will move a privilege motion against the CM and also file a criminal defamation case in the HC,” said Thakur.
Responding to the BJP, revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi alleged that the BJP legislators had indeed shown disrespect to the National Anthem and were now trying to exploit the fact that cameras do not capture all members of the House at all times.
Negi stated that if the Opposition requests a discussion on this issue under Rule 130, the ruling party is fully prepared for it. He claimed that while the video does not clearly identify who caused the disturbance, the BJP is now making allegations while hiding behind this very ambiguity.
Oppn attempting to divide House: Sukhu
Reiterating the accusations, Sukhu demanded an apology from the BJP and said that he would also move a privilege motion against the BJP for making “false statements”.
Sukhu stated that the opposition is now attempting to divide the House over the National Song and the National Anthem. He emphasised that the National Song has been an integral part of the Congress ideology from the very beginning, and the party has been singing it since before Independence.
He said, “Do not divide the country over the National Anthem and the National Song. The National Song and the National Anthem are our identity that evoke genuine sentiment; such feelings cannot be instilled simply by imposing the singing of a song through legislation”.
He added “Questioning the National Anthem is, in itself, an insult to the National Anthem. I will move a privilege motion against this. They may approach whichever court they wish. We will go to the people and declare that they have insulted the National Anthem. They should apologise for the same”.
Accusing the BJP of politicising everything, Sukhu demanded an apology from the opposition. He alleged that the BJP seeks to divide the country over issues such as religion, caste, the National Anthem, and the National Song, whereas it ought to respect the nation’s culture and traditions.
Teachers’ appointment to all CBSE-affiliated schools by Sept 30: Sukhu
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that teacher appointments for all CBSE-affiliated schools in the state would be completed by September 30.
This was stated by the CM in response to the question raised by BJP legislators Sudhir Sharma, Janak Raj, Randhir Sharma, Vipin Singh Parma and Rakesh Jamwal regarding shifting the affiliation of government schools to CBSE.
Sukhu pointed out that the teacher appointments for all CBSE-affiliated schools in the state would be completed by September 30. He emphasized that appointments are being made upon the declaration of results. The CM noted that following the CBSE affiliation, student enrollment in government schools has increased by 24,000. He said that education is essential for shaping children’s future. The CM mentioned that teachers have been appointed for a 10-month term based on an examination, and the government will give serious consideration to their future prospects. He added that the state government is bearing the entire cost associated with the CBSE affiliation.
He also announced ₹80 crore for establishing computer labs in all CBSE schools. He even added that the state government would be providing funds to these schools.
MLA Vipin Parmar had pointed out that there are 17,064 schools in the state, including public schools, and shifting of 147 schools to CBSE would lead to a loss of ₹25 crore to the Himachal Pradesh state education board. He even questioned the haste in shifting to CBSE curriculum in mid-session and that too when the NCERT syllabus has not been finalised.
MLA Janak Raj pointed out that the state government had not been provided teachers to all the schools that have been shifted to CBSE.
Appointment of 820 teachers across various subjects: Rohit Thakur
Responding to the question, education minister Rohit Thakur stated that 147 schools in the state have been granted CBSE affiliation after completing the requisite procedures and adhering to all established norms. He announced that the teacher vacancies for these CBSE-affiliated schools, which have been referred to the State Selection Commission, would be filled within a month. He noted that while 3,830 teachers are available for CBSE schools, 820 teachers across various subjects have already been appointed.
Thakur said the primary reason behind affiliating government schools with the CBSE was decrease in enrolment. He pointed out that student enrolment in government schools had declined by 4 lakh over the past 15 years in the state. Since private schools in the state are CBSE-affiliated, parents tend to prefer them for their children’s education. In light of this trend, 147 government schools were granted CBSE affiliation in the initial phase and 100 more will be shifted to CBSE in the second phase.
Nurses will not be recruited via outsourcing: CM
The CM said nurses would no longer be recruited on an outsourced basis, but recruitment would be conducted on merit on the basis of tests.
He was responding to the question from BJP MLA Deep Raj from Karsog had sought reply on appointments made on an outsourced basis and the policy to empanel the outsourcing companies.
The CM said that staff nurses would be appointed through examinations conducted by the State Selection Commission. The CM emphasized that to ensure better services in hospitals, nurse recruitment would be carried out through the regular process. Currently, a recruitment drive for approximately 600 nurses is underway in the state. BJP MLA Hansraj argued in the House that outsourced recruitment goes against the spirit of the Constitution and violates the constitutional right to equality.
Zero tolerance against drugs
Reiterating zero tolerance against drugs, the CM said that 139 cops have been identified to be involved in NDPS cases.
Sukhu provided the details in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday, in response to a question raised by Congress MLA from Shahpur, Kewal Singh Pathania.
He said, “Adopting zero tolerance to drugs we have terminated services of 15 govt employees and 21 police personnel who were found involved in drugs.”
Himachal has registered 5,848 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against 9,363 persons over the past three years up to August 1, 2026, as the state government intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking and substance abuse.
