Independent MLAs support welfare schemes: Himachal minister

The four Independent legislators in Himachal Pradesh are supporting the welfare schemes and development agenda of the state government, Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said Friday.

Asking the opposition leaders as to why they were restless when Independent MLAs were supporting the government, Agnihotri said the BJP leaders should realise that Independent legislators always support the government on the basis of issues.

"This practice was also followed during the BJP rule but the Congress never resorted to cheap politics on the issue," he added.

The minister's reaction comes in the wake of the BJP's petition to Speaker B.B.L. Butail that the Independent legislators be disqualified from the assembly for describing themselves as associate members of the Congress.

The four Independent legislators are Manohar Dhiman, Pawan Kajal, Kirnesh Jang and Balbir Verma.

"The BJP leaders made tall claims about the support of Independent MLAs and that the Virbhadra government would be ousted soon after the Lok Sabha elections," Agnihotri said.

"Now, as their ill designs have not been fulfilled, they are threatening to get their (the indepndents') membership cancelled. This shows their utter frustration," Agnihotri said in a statement to the media.

He said the BJP, which is demanding resignation of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, should realise the reality that the government got the mandate to rule for a five years' term.

Agnihotri said if the BJP leaders wished to ask for any resignation, they should seek resignation of the Modi government at the centre, which had played with the sentiments of the people by pushing aside the major issues like corruption, inflation and black money.

"The only agenda of the Modi government in the last 100 days was to remove the governors unethically," the minister added.

The BJP Sep 2 sought disqualification of the Independent legislators from the assembly for describing themselves as associate members of the Congress.

BJP chief whip Suresh Bhardwaj told reporters that the public gave them mandate as Independent members but now they had joined hands with the Congress party.

Assembly officials said the speaker has not taken any call so far on the complaint.

The four legislators last month issued a statement in favour of the chief minister and described themselves as associate members of the Congress, Bhardwaj added.