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Himachal government, opposition spar over Centre’s role in relief measures
Congress brings up Manmohan Singh govt’s assismace to Uttarakhand during the 2013 Kedarnath disaster; Jairam questions figures
Heated exchanges between the ruling party and the opposition dominated the proceedings on the second day of the state assembly’s monsoon session.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators resorted to sloganeering amid the discussion on disaster relief efforts, with particular focus on the 2013 Kedarnath disaster.
CPS Sunder Singh Thakur, a member of the ruling party, opened the fiery discussion by raising the issue of assistance provided by the erstwhile Manmohan Singh government to Uttarakhand during the 2013 disaster, with the opposition questioning the credibility of the data being presented.
Thakur had recounted the then Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh had announced a relief package of ₹1,000 crore just a day after the Uttarakhand government’s visit to New Delhi in the aftermath of the Kedarnath disaster. He emphasised that the assistance was crucial, as Uttarakhand suffered losses amounting to ₹9,000 crore. In addition to the relief package, the Centre, he said, had provided a further ₹4,345 crore and a loan of ₹3,737 crore to the battered state.
Thakur praised the state government’s response, stating that they acted swiftly and effectively on the ground during the Kullu tragedy and highlighted chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s tireless efforts and the dedication to relief work. He accused the opposition of being unable to acknowledge the government’s work and accused the present Centre of acting unjustly towards Himachal.
In response to the ruling party’s claims, leader of opposition Jairam Thakur accused the government of losing credibility and claiming that the Congress had come to power through deception — drawing sharp reaction from the ruling dispensation. Thakur also questioned the credibility of the figures presented by Sunder Thakur and sparred with deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri.
Horticulture minister Jagat Singh Negi, meanwhile also accused the opposition of throttling democracy, saying opposition was not allowed to speak in the House when the BJP was in power.
As the discussion on disaster relief continued to escalate, tempers flared to the point where the assembly speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania was forced to step in to restore order — excluding some of the contentious comments exchanged between the members from the proceedings.
BJP MLAs, meanwhile, on Tuesday donated their one month’s salary towards the Aapada Rahat Kosh and presented a cheque of ₹13.8 lakh to CM, leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur said.
Speaking to media persons outside the Vidhan Sabha, Thakur said, We had made a commitment to donate one month’s salary towards the disaster relief fund. The move comes a day after the CM had pointed out that the BJP MLAs are yet to donate towards the Aapada Rahat Kosh.
Highlighting the poor female representation in the assembly, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu jokingly offered BJP MLA Reena Kashyap a ministerial berth — saying the offer held if the leader was willing to jump ship over to Congress. The assembly erupted in laughter, providing a brief respite from the heated exchanges of the day. The House was discussing the Women Reservation Bill at the time.
