The Opposition BJP staged a walkout in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Monday after their demand for discussion on disaster caused due to rain fury was not allowed under Rule 67.

Following permission of the Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on the opening day of the session, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presented a resolution on the damages caused due to the monsoon.

BJP members called for an adjournment of the business for the day and demanded for discussion on the disaster the state witnessed under Rule 67.

Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur said that it has been the biggest disaster the state has witnessed due to rains that caused colossal damage and there should be nothing more important than debate on the issue.

He said,” Thousands of people have been rendered homeless and 441 precious lives have been lost in the rain-related devastation. It is an important issue and every person in the state wants debate on it.”

While the Speaker adjourned the question hour, however, he rejected the discussion under Rule 67 stating that the notice of discussion on a similar issue had already been received by the state government under Rule 102 and discussion is allowed not for a single day but can be held daily till the session lasts.

He said that since the subject of discussion is the same, he has allowed tagging the two so that the members of both the ruling and opposition could participate in the discussion.

“The session has already been delayed. We had wanted it to be held earlier so that discussion could be held in order to find out some ways, where even the opposition could contribute with suggestions for a possible course of action,” he said.

Disgruntled the opposition members raised slogans and staged a walkout defending that although the issue is the same, however there is a lot of difference in the spirit which the government intended to bring forward the discussion.

The opposition however after almost half an hour returned to the house.

Chief Minister while moving the resolution emphasized the need to declare the natural calamity in the state as a National disaster just like it had been done in the case of catastrophe that had occurred in Bhuj, Kedarnath and Joshimath so that the state could get adequate assistance to bring back the state on the track.

He said that everyone in the state had been pained by the calamity and people had come forward to donate liberally for the Apada Rahat Kosh. Even the children had donated money from the piggy banks and even various states have also donated. He suggested the BJP members donate one month’s salary towards the relief fund set up by the state government.

He blamed the opposition for doing politics on the disaster crisis.

The chief minister urged the Opposition members to support the state government to get a relief package from the Centre.