The Opposition Congress on Friday staged walkout in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, when they were not allowed adjournment motion to discuss deteriorating law and order situation, mafia raj and drug abuse in the state.

As the House assembled for the second day of the Monsoon session, leader of opposition, Mukesh Agnihotri inquired about the fate of the notice for adjournment motion submitted by Congress members Asha Kumari and Ram Lal Thakur under rule 67.

The speaker Rajeev Bindal, however, did not allow it citing rule 69 (2) of procedure of the Assembly, wherein no issues which refer more than one matter should be accepted. He said he had already referred the matter to the government.

The Opposition Congress members created ruckus in the house stating that they had given a notice an hour prior to the commencement of the house. However, the government was running away from the debate on important issues.

Alleging deteriorating law and order and increasing incidence of crime with rise in number of murders and rape under BJP regime, Agnihotri sought the discussion on priority and said when the entire state government was present in the House, why the discussion is not being done.

He claimed that according to official figures in the last eight months since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power there have been 64 murder, 196 rape, 283 kidnappings, 333 cases of molestation and 98 crimes against women in the state. The crime graph has been increasing which is alarming and a matter of grave concern, he lamented.

When the Speaker asked for the start of the listed business and the participation of Congress members in the Question Hour, the entire Congress members walked out raising slogans against the state government.

Thakur said that that the Congress members were not serious and was disrupting the smooth functioning of the House by raising issues that could not be allowed as per rules of the Assembly.

As senior Congress leader Virbhadra Singh was absent from the house, taking a dig Thakur said that there is no one to guide the Congress members.

The Opposition was trying to take political mileage in the name of law and order which is highly condemnable, he added.

“The state government is not averse to the discussion raised by the Opposition. The government is ready for any discussion if the issues are raised as per rules of the Assembly,” Thakur said.

Thakur said that the Congress was purposely disrupting the functioning of the house in order to participate in the protest of the Youth Congress.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Bhardwaj said that due to the efforts of the Chief Minister seven states have joined hands to fight drug menace and a nodal office will be opened at Panchkula in the adjoining state. The Opposition should instead laud the efforts of Jai Ram Thakur, he stated.

The question hour commenced in the absence of Congress members, however, the Opposition Congress joined the proceedings of the house after question hour.