BJP MLAs relent after mediation by CM, attend proceedings

BJP MLAs, who had threatened to continue their protest in the Himachal Assembly if the issues raised by them were not discussed, today participated in the House proceedings after Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Agnihotri intervened.
Singh and Agnihotri had a meeting with BJP's Ravinder Singh Ravi and Suresh Bhardwaj to end the deadlock today.
The House reassembled today amid noisy scenes with BJP member Rikhi Ram Kaundal started raising issues soon after the Question Hour began.
This was followed by a fiery speech by BJP MLA Sarveen Chaudhary, who said her party wanted to raise people-centric issues through the adjournment motion but it had been rejected by Speaker Brij Butail.

Later the Chief Minister appealed to the BJP members to allow the House conduct its business, and said that it was the right of the opposition to raise issues and his government was not averse to any discussion.
On this, leader of the opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal said his party was always in favour of smooth running of the House.

"The Chief Minister has called for running the House cordially but how would it happen, when he himself has been using derogatory language against us," Dhumal said.
Referring to the Chief Minister's remarks that "Dhumal is a muscleman" as reported in a section of the media, BJP leader Gulab Singh Thakur asked him to either accept it or deny it.

The Chief Minister, however, said he had not read the papers and whatever he had said was in the larger perspective.
"Both of us belong to the same species. If I have said some thing against you like this, it applies to me also," the CM said.
The Speaker too clarified that he had not rejected the adjournment motion moved by BJP MLAs, but had referred it to the government.
BJP MLAs had yesterday trooped into the Well seeking a discussion on "personal allegations against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh", and raised slogans against the state government till the House was adjourned for the day.