Opposition rakes graft charges against Virbhadra

Dharamsala: Unruly scenes were witnessed in Himachal Assembly today as the Opposition demanding a discussion on the corruption charges levied against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, tried to stall the proceedings, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House.

As soon as the House assembled, BJP member Rajiv Bindal demanded a discussion on the matter, which was rejected by the Speaker who maintained that it was subjudice.

The agitated BJP members continued to interrupt the House, while leader of the opposition P K Dhumal appealed to the Speaker to protect the rights of the members.

He alleged that the microphones in the House were on when the ruling party members were speaking but switched off when Opposition members wanted to say something.

The stalemate ended as the Speaker B B L Butail announced that the discussion on the issue would be held on the last day of the Assembly session on December 4.

The matter would be discussed under Rule 130 on the concluding day, he said.

At the onset of the session, Dhumal had raised the issue of cancellation of permission to BJP for holding a rally on December 2 at Zorawar Park near the Tapovan Vidhan Sabha complex.

The Chief Minister replied that there was some confusion as the government had decided last year that no permission would be allowed at Zorawar Park as it was close to state assembly and the noise of loudspeakers could cause disturbance in the proceedings.