The Himachal Pradesh assembly witnessed uproar on the ninth day of the monsoon session on Thursday as opposition BJP MLAs demanded that the House be adjourned so that they could reach disaster-hit areas, particularly in Chamba district, and assist in relief and rescue efforts.
BJP MLAs Hans Raj, Janak Raj, and DS Thakur urged the government to arrange immediate transportation, including helicopters if needed, to allow them to visit their constituencies. They said assembly proceedings should be suspended so that “full strength” could be deployed in relief work.
Heated exchanges in House
The opposition objected to the absence of chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu from the assembly, accusing him of being busy with political engagements outside the state, while Himachal Pradesh struggles with one of its worst natural disasters.
Heated exchanges forced a 15-minute adjournment of proceedings.
Leader of opposition and former chief minister Jairam Thakur said Chamba, Kullu-Manali, Lahaul-Spiti, and other parts of the state had been badly hit by heavy rains, floods, and landslides, cutting off road connectivity.
“When political engagements clash with the assembly session, a chief minister should suspend those engagements and focus on the state -- that’s what I have always done. But our CM has been in Delhi since Wednesday and is in Bihar on Thursday to address a political rally. This is extremely unfortunate when the state is reeling under a disaster. The CM should be here leading rescue operations, not addressing rallies,” Thakur said.
{{/usCountry}}“When political engagements clash with the assembly session, a chief minister should suspend those engagements and focus on the state -- that’s what I have always done. But our CM has been in Delhi since Wednesday and is in Bihar on Thursday to address a political rally. This is extremely unfortunate when the state is reeling under a disaster. The CM should be here leading rescue operations, not addressing rallies,” Thakur said.
{{/usCountry}}“The Manimahesh Yatra has around 10,000 pilgrims, and many remain stranded due to landslides and flash floods. We don’t know exactly where they are or how many are safe. I will speak to the Union home minister Amit Shah to push for this disaster to be declared a national calamity so Himachal gets maximum assistance,” he said.
Manimahesh pilgrims safe: MLA
Bharmaur MLA Janak Raj told ANI that many pilgrims had arrived in his constituency for the Manimahesh Yatra, but heavy rains and communication breakdowns had left families unable to contact each other.
“I want to assure everyone that, by Lord Shiva’s grace, people are safe so far. There have been no confirmed casualties in my constituency, and all stranded pilgrims on the yatra route have been rescued. However, road connectivity will take another two to three days to restore. Local people have stepped up to provide food, and there is no shortage of ration. We must not politicise this -- helicopters belong to the people of Himachal and should be used for their rescue, not for any political purpose,” Raj said.
He stressed that elected representatives should be in their constituencies during such crises, not confined to legislative debates. “The House should be adjourned so we can go to the affected areas. The police and administrative staff engaged in the assembly session should be diverted to rescue operations,” he said.
The legislators pointed out that several parts of Chamba remain completely cut off, with shortages of essentials worsening. Opposition members accused the government of failing to deploy adequate relief resources and said rescue operations were moving at “an unacceptably slow pace.”
With torrential rains, landslides, and floods destroying homes, orchards, and bridges across the state, the opposition has intensified pressure on the Sukhu government to prioritise relief work over political engagements.