HP Speaker seeks cooperation from BJP, Congress for Monsoon Session

Speaker Seeks Cooperation for Smooth and Meaningful Session

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Thursday chaired an all-party meeting with the ruling Congress and Opposition BJP ahead of the 10-day Monsoon Session of the state legislature, seeking cooperation from all sides for a smooth and meaningful session beginning Friday.

The meeting was attended by Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan and Deputy Whip Kewal Singh Pathania.

The Speaker said discussions covered the issues received by the Assembly under various rules, including questions, discussions and matters proposed to be raised during the session.

Pathania said the meeting was held in a “very cordial atmosphere” and expressed confidence that both the treasury and Opposition benches would cooperate in ensuring the smooth functioning of the House.

“My request has been that the House should function in a cordial and orderly atmosphere. I have also received assurances of cooperation from everyone,” the Speaker said.

He said the Assembly had received a large number of issues and that adequate time would be provided to members to raise matters through questions and discussions.

Pathania said one of the concerns raised during the meeting was the lack of prompt action by government departments on matters raised by legislators during Zero Hour.

“There is not enough promptness in the way departments take cognisance of issues raised during Zero Hour. We had observed this yesterday as well,” he said.

The Speaker said he had conveyed the concern to the Chief Secretary and had also discussed the matter with the Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

“I have conveyed this to the Chief Secretary. I have also told Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan that this issue should be specifically taken up with the administration and the government so that departments take cognisance of matters raised during Zero Hour and members are informed about the action taken,” Pathania said.

He said the Parliamentary Affairs Minister had assured cooperation on the matter.

Pathania said the 10-day session could still require adjustment depending on the volume of business before the House.

“This is nothing when you consider the amount of business before us. Last time, one issue under Rule 130 was discussed for four days. When a matter concerns the interests of the state and the public and members begin expressing their views, even a two-hour discussion can sometimes consume an entire day,” he said.

He said around 15 matters under Rule 130 had already been listed, apart from a large number of questions and other business.

“There are many questions as well, and more issues can emerge from those questions. If the House functions fully, the business may have to be extended; otherwise, it can be completed within the scheduled time. My expectation is that all issues will be discussed meaningfully,” Pathania said.

He explained that Saturday sittings had also been scheduled because the House would lose three working days due to the Raksha Bandhan holiday period.

“We have kept a sitting on Saturday because Raksha Bandhan is ahead and the House will not function for three days Friday, Saturday and Sunday during that period. We also have to complete the business before September 3,” he said.

Asked about the traditional singing of “Vande Mataram”, Pathania said the Assembly’s established traditions would be followed and that the details would become clear when the House meets.

Opposition to Raise Public Issues, Alleges Suppression of Voice

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the BJP had participated in the meeting as part of the formal process involving the two parties represented in the Assembly.

“The Opposition is always there to strengthen democracy. Our effort will be to effectively raise the voice of the people and issues concerning public interest in the Assembly, and we will make every effort for that,” Thakur said.

He said the Opposition would cooperate in ensuring that maximum questions were answered and discussions were conducted properly, but stressed that the responsibility for maintaining a cordial atmosphere also rested with the treasury benches.

“Much will depend on the ruling side and how responsibly it takes forward the atmosphere of the House. If it works responsibly, the Opposition’s role will certainly remain constructive,” he said.

Thakur, however, said the BJP would not compromise on issues concerning public interest.

He alleged that Himachal Pradesh had witnessed an atmosphere that was “unprecedented” in terms of attempts to suppress the voice of elected representatives.

“Today, there are issues concerning development as well as the democratic environment in Himachal Pradesh. An attempt is being made to suppress and crush the democratic voice. Cases are being registered against public representatives, with one case followed by another,” Thakur said.

He said legal action should be taken wherever there were serious cases, but alleged that cases should not be registered merely because a person was an Opposition leader or legislator.

“If there are serious cases, there should be no two opinions about taking action. But if cases are being registered because they are Opposition members and their voice is to be suppressed, I do not think that is appropriate,” he said.

Thakur said the government should focus on development during the remaining period of its tenure.

“The government has almost four-and-a-half years of its term behind it. Our expectation was that the focus would be on development, but we are not seeing all those things to the extent we should. We will raise these issues effectively,” he said.

He warned that if attempts were made to prevent the Opposition from speaking, the BJP would raise its voice both inside and outside the Assembly.

“If there is an attempt to stop our voice, we can raise it inside the House as well as outside. In a democracy, we will not hesitate to put forward our concerns,” Thakur said.

Thakur demands seriousness on government assurances

Thakur also raised concerns over assurances given by ministers and the Chief Minister on the floor of the House, saying such commitments should be treated as binding responsibilities of the government.

“When the government gives an answer in the House and a minister or the Chief Minister gives an assurance, it becomes the government’s responsibility to fulfil that commitment made on the floor of the House,” he said.

He said governments should give assurances only after assessing whether they were in a position to fulfil them.

“Normally, before giving an assurance, it should be considered several times whether the government is in a position to fulfil it. An assurance should be one that can actually be implemented, and fulfilling it is an obligation,” Thakur said.

He alleged that assurances were sometimes made merely to pacify the House or move a matter forward, but were not subsequently implemented.

“This is a matter of concern. We have repeatedly seen assurances being given simply to satisfy the House and move the discussion ahead, but many of them have not been fulfilled,” he said.

Thakur also supported the need for an Assurance Committee in the Assembly to monitor implementation of commitments made on the floor.

Opposition flags discrepancies between Assembly replies and RTI information

Thakur raised another concern relating to the accuracy and completeness of information provided to legislators during Assembly proceedings.

He said there had been instances where members possessed information obtained under the Right to Information Act, while the department concerned gave a different or incomplete response on the floor of the House.

“Sometimes we ask a question in the House and the member already has information through RTI, but despite that, the Chief Minister or the minister concerned says that the information is being collected. This undermines the dignity of the House,” Thakur said.

He argued that departments and officials supplying the information should ensure that the same information is accurately reflected in Assembly replies.

“The department is the one providing the information and the officials have the information. If the member has the information and the government still says that the information is being collected, that is not right,” he said.

Thakur said the RTI Act was a central law and that information provided under it could not simply be disregarded.

“The RTI Act is a central law. It is also the law of the land. It should be taken seriously, particularly when information available under the RTI is inconsistent with what is being stated in the House,” he said.

Opposition seeks prompt replies to Zero Hour issues

Thakur also demanded that issues raised under the newly introduced Zero Hour should receive prompt responses from the concerned ministers.

“When we raise an issue under Zero Hour, the concerned minister should immediately provide a reply to the member. It should ideally come within two or three days,” he said.

He said there were instances where questions were raised and discussed for a short period, but the promised departmental response did not arrive even later.

“If the reply does not come, then what is the meaning of raising the issue? The dignity of the House is involved. Whatever is discussed inside the Assembly must be treated seriously, and the government must ensure that proper answers are provided,” Thakur said.

He also criticised what he described as a declining level of accountability in responses by the government, saying ministers and the Chief Minister must respond to issues with the seriousness expected of their constitutional positions.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister urges Opposition to use 10-day session for debate

Chauhan said the government had urged the Opposition to make full use of the extended session instead of staging walkouts after raising issues.

“This is the first time in the history of Himachal Pradesh that the Monsoon Session is being held for 10 days. Normally, Monsoon Sessions used to be four or five days,” Chauhan said.

He said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had supported a longer session so that both the ruling and Opposition benches could raise issues and discuss matters affecting the state.

“The Assembly is a platform where the voice of the people is represented through 68 elected members. Issues concerning the state should be discussed meaningfully inside the House,” he said.

Chauhan said the government would consider suggestions made by Opposition legislators if they were in the public interest.

“We have requested the Opposition to allow the House to function smoothly, raise its issues inside the Assembly and participate in the discussion. If something is genuinely in the public interest, it will be acted upon,” he said.

He also criticised the BJP for allegedly walking out after raising issues to gain political publicity.

“The Opposition should not simply raise an issue, make a political statement and walk out. Its issues should be discussed, the government’s response should be heard and solutions should be found,” Chauhan said.

He alleged that walkouts were sometimes aimed at generating headlines and attention on social media.

“The larger interest of the state should be kept in mind. The Assembly is a platform where the voice of the people and the 68 representatives of the state is heard,” he said.

Responding to concerns over delays in replies to Assembly questions, Chauhan said most questions receive responses and that delays in some cases arise because information has to be collected from several departments and agencies.

He cited questions relating to private-sector employment as an example, saying the Labour and Employment Department may have to collect information from numerous establishments, with some providing data and others failing to do so on time.

“Sometimes information comes from some establishments and does not come from others. In such circumstances, complete information cannot be placed before the Assembly,” he said.

Chauhan claimed that around 98 to 99 per cent of starred questions receive government responses and said occasional delays should not be construed as an attempt to hide information.

“If information on five or 10 questions is delayed out of 500 or 1,000 starred questions, the percentage is very small. This has happened earlier as well. It is part of the process,” he said.

He maintained that the government had no reason to conceal information from the Assembly.

“There is no question of our government hiding information or doing anything wrong. There can be procedural delays, but that should not be interpreted as an attempt to suppress information,” Chauhan said.

Chauhan said the issue of reconstituting the Assembly’s Assurance Committee also came up during the meeting after Jai Ram Thakur raised the matter.

He said the committee traditionally monitors assurances given by ministers and the Chief Minister on the floor of the House and obtains action-taken reports from the concerned departments.

“Earlier, there was an Assurance Committee, but it was abolished during the previous BJP government. We have told the Speaker that the committee can be recognised and reconstituted so that implementation of assurances given in the Assembly can be monitored,” Chauhan said.

He said the government makes efforts to fulfil the commitments made in the House.

“We try to fulfil the assurances we give in the House. If there is an occasional error or omission, that is a different matter,” he said.

The 10-day Monsoon Session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to begin on Friday and continue until September 3, with the Speaker expressing hope that the extended sitting would allow extensive and substantive discussion on matters concerning the state and its people. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)