Pandemonium in HP Assembly, BJP stages walkout

BJP members today staged a walkout in the Assembly on the demands for immediate discussion on the decision of the Congress government to change the names or close schemes started by the previous regime in the name of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and denotification of colleges opened by it.
When the House assembled, the BJP members, who had disrupted the proceedings on the opening day yesterday, did not press the demand for discussion on phone tapping after Speaker B B L Butail informed that the debate could not be held and quoted the relevant law. They, however, refused to budge on the demands for discussion on changing the names of the schemes and also denotification of colleges established by the former BJP government.

The assurances of the Speaker that the matter was under consideration and they would be provided opportunity to discuss the issues did not have any sobering effect on the BJP members, who continued shouting slogans and insisted that discussion be allowed today itself.
As the Speaker proceeded with the Question Hour and did not heed the protests of the BJP members, they walked out.
Referring to the demand on the phone tapping issue, the Speaker said the Chief Minister in his statement in the House yesterday clearly said the government could not divulge any details as the law prohibited it and as such the discussion on the matter was not valid.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said phone tapping was a serious offence and the law prohibits disclosure of any information on this issue.