Himachal Pradesh Congress on Friday moved no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur led BJP government, however, the move was rejected by Vidhan Sabha Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar by terming it inadmissible as the opposition party didn’t have one-third strength present in the house.
The Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri moved no-confidence motion after the obituary references to CDS Gen Bipin Singh Rawat and three members of the house on the first day of the winter session of state assembly at Tapovan in Dharmashala in Kangra district.
While moving the motion, Agnihotri said the BJP government had lost people’s mandate as it had been defeated in 12 assembly segments out of the total 20 assembly segments where bypolls were held in the month of October.
“The Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur government had been routed in recently concluded bypolls in the state and the government didn’t have moral right to continue in power.
It would have been better if the CM Thakur along with his cabinet colleagues had resigned and paved the way for elections in Himachal Pradesh,” he added.
He stated that government employees, police personnel alongwith with unemployed youth were up in arms against the BJP government as the government had failed to protect their interests.
The opposition party’s move was however rejected by Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar who stated that there should be one-third strength in the house for the proposal to be admitted for discussion.
As there were some opposition members absent from the house and Congress even after getting the support of CPM MLA Rakesh Singha, there were only 19 members present in the house. But the Congress needed 23 members so as to get its no-confidence motion considered for discussion in the house which led to Speaker denying the proposal.
Agnihotri while talking to the media termed the move as undemocratic as the opposition party had submitted the list of 23 members along with their signatures while submitting the proposal to Speaker.