BJP stages walkout demanding resignation of HP CM

Monsoon session of Himachal Pradesh Assembly started on a stormy note with Opposition BJP staging a walkout demanding resignation of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on moral grounds following defeat in Lok Sabha polls.
Immediately after the obituary references to six former legislators, who died during the inter-session period, BJP member Suresh Bharadwaj tried to raise a point of order.
He said, "Congress party was routed in all four seats in Lok Sabha elections and conceded lead to BJP in 59 out of 68 assembly segments. The ruling party has lost mandate and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh must resign."
The BJP members disrupted the proceedings as the chief minister rose to read out the list of business for the week and several BJP members including Rikhi Ram Kaundal, Rajiv Bindal and Randhir Sharma started raising slogans.

They said even the wife of the chief minister was defeated and the BJP got lead in assembly constituency of Virbhadra Singh and he should quit on moral grounds.
Speaker B B L Butail, who initially tried to stop Bhardwaj from raising the issue went ahead with the day's business following which the BJP members staged a walkout.

Condemning the walkout, health minister Kaul Singh said the Opposition has no right to ask for Chief Minister's resignation, who has been democratically elected and Lok Sabha polls had nothing to do with popularity of the Chief Minister or state issues.
"People have given us the mandate to rule while the Lok Sabha elections were held on national issues and had nothing to do with the state affairs," Kaul said.

Later speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, chief minister dismissed the demand for his resignation and said that the BJP members have no right to ask him to resign.
Earlier the house mourned the death of six former MLAs, Kunj Lal thakur, Nagin Chand Pal, Chet Ram, Mehar Singh Chauhan, Gauri Prasad and Nand Kumar Chauhan , who died during the inter-session period.