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BJP MLAs allege `step-motherly' treatment

By Our Staff Correspondent

SHIMLA, DEC.17 . Much heat was generated in the Himachal Assembly on the opening day of the short winter session today over price rise and "step-motherly treatment" given to Opposition MLAs at Government functions in their constituencies. The opposition MLAs wanted an adjournment motion on price rise and were on their feet immediately after the House paid obituaries to some of its former members.

This was rejected by the Speaker, Gangu Ram Musafir, as he had allowed the discussion on the same issue, under rule 130. Leader of the BJP Legislature party, Prem Kumar Dhumal, cited the seriousness of the situation arising out of the steep price rise in the State. He said five members of a family committed suicide in Nalagarh unable to make both ends meet. The Speaker did not concede his request and advised him to speak later under rule 130 which was not acceptable to the Opposition members and they walked out of the House shouting slogans against the government.

The Opposition members were again on their toes when some of the MLAs raised the issue of `ill treatment' given to elected representatives by the government. The Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, made a suo moto statement on the recent happening in Nalagarh where the BJP MLA Hari Narayan Saini was told to leave the stage at a gathering which was to be addressed by the former.

The Chief Minister made it clear that it was a Congress party meeting specially organised by the District Congress Committee to felicitate the new PCC President Kuldip Kumar and not a public function to celebrate the inauguration of a bridge on Sarsa River. He said the MLA was present during the inauguration and it was sufficient. He left on his own when he realised the situation, he added.

But Mr. Saini alleged that he felt "slighted" when he was told to go away in front of a number of his supporters, and it was not a Congress party function but a public meeting organised by the State Government officials and the public relations department. He claimed that in spite of it being a Monday, when no government vehicles can run, there were more then 200 government cars on the venue of the public meeting. He said since most of the work on the Rs 7.61-crore Sarsa bridge was done during the previous BJP government he had every right to be present before the people of his constituency.

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