Himachal Pradesh: Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Pathania chaired an all-party meeting ahead of the start of the Monsoon Session of the Assembly here today. Pathania said he was confident that both the ruling and the opposition would cooperate with him in the smooth conduct of the session. “I have discussed with both sides to make the 12 sittings of the session constructive,” he said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harsh Vardhan Chauhan, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, Congress Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Pathania and BJP Chief Whip Sukh Ram Choudhary attended the meeting. The Speaker said till date, MLAs have submitted 1,018 questions, which have been forwarded to the government. He said several important Bills would be introduced in the House during the session.
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said it would be better if the Opposition indulges in constructive debates and does not walk out of the House as it takes a lot of hard work to gather information on questions and issues raised during the session. Chauhan said he hoped there would be constructive debates and the 12 sittings would be utilised to the fullest. The Leader of Opposition said he hoped there would be a constructive discussion and the Speaker would give the opposition ample opportunity to raise its issues. He said the poor financial condition of the state, closure of government institutions opened by the previous BJP government and filing of FIRs against disaster-affected people of Siraj are among the issues that would be raised in the House. Thakur said in view of the massive damage caused by unprecedented heavy rains during the current monsoon, the House should discuss this important issue on priority.
