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Monsoon session begins: Himachal assembly adjourned amid row over ‘not playing’ Vande Mataram
The Opposition objected to the National Song not being sung and alleged that the central government had introduced a new provision requiring government programmes to begin with the National Song
The Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly witnessed an uproar over not playing the National Song, Vande Mataram, at the beginning of the monsoon session, leaving the House adjourned until Saturday.
The House saw ruling and opposition MLAs confronting each other over the singing of Vande Mataram. Amid sloganeering and protest, the ruling party accused the BJP of insulting the National Anthem, while the Opposition accused the Congress of insulting the National Song.
The commotion started soon after the proceedings on the first day of the monsoon session began with the National Anthem. The Opposition objected to the National Song not being sung and alleged that the central government had introduced a new provision requiring government programmes to begin with the National Song.
The Opposition argued that the same arrangement should also be followed in the House and that the session should have begun with Vande Mataram. The Opposition members stood up in the House to protest the issue and began raising slogans.
In response, ruling party members also began raising slogans. Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania tried to pacify the opposition members, stating that tributes would be paid to departed leaders at the beginning of the session. Thereafter, the proceedings of the House should continue as per the rules.
Provision to sing the National Song at the conclusion of House proceedings: Speaker
The Assembly Speaker on Friday said there was no occasion for the Opposition to raise the issue of Vande Mataram on the opening day of the monsoon session, asserting that the House follows the established practice of beginning its proceedings with the National Anthem and concluding the session with the National Song.
“The practice in our House is that there is a welcome first, followed by the National Anthem. The National Song is sung when we conclude the session. So, there was no opportunity today for any issue relating to the National Song because it is scheduled for September 3,” Pathania said.
“In this House, both are not sung at the same time. There has been no such precedent till today. Even in Parliament, there is no such precedent. We begin with the National Anthem and conclude with the National Song,” he said.
Pathania clarified that the new provision introduced by the central government regarding the National Song is meant for government programmes and does not directly apply to the legislative assembly proceedings.
“An Act passed by Parliament still has to go through judicial scrutiny. After judicial scrutiny, Parliament will continue to have its jurisdiction,” Pathania said. “The legislature is the supreme body of the elected people of Himachal Pradesh. We have to decide according to our own rules and procedures,” he said.
BJP diverting attention from key issues: Vinay
The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president and former deputy speaker, Vinay Kumar, accused the BJP of deliberately creating a controversy to divert attention from issues it may face during the ongoing monsoon session.
“BJP has no other issue left. They have done this simply to divert everyone’s attention from the tradition that has been followed since Independence,” he said. “Not only in the Assembly, but also in our party offices, we begin with the National Anthem and conclude with the National Song. It was sung today in the same manner in which it has always been sung,” he said.
“These distraction tactics are being used so that issues like paper leaks, the theft of the people’s mandate and why sugar prices have reached ₹65, allegedly because of ethanol policies, are not raised in the House,” Kumar alleged.
