Delay in reconvening HP assembly post lunch

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly reconvened nearly half-an-hour later than the scheduled time after lunch break on Friday.

The House was to reassemble at 2 pm for the ongoing budget session after the scheduled one-hour lunch which started at around 12.58 pm.

Some of the members from the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress arrived in the House but neither Speaker Vipin Parmar nor any of his representatives had returned by then.

The opposition Congress members left the House after waiting for some time.

Meanwhile, Jawalamukhi MLA Ramesh Chand Dhawala came in the House at 2.21 pm and sat on the Speaker's chair to conduct the proceedings but there was a lack of quorum as at least one-third of the total members were not present.

 

Congress legislator Harshwardhan Chauhan, who was present in the House at that time, protested against the delay in restarting the proceedings and left.

Dhawala then informed the House that the speaker had just left for lunch as he was busy filling nomination papers of BJP leader Indu Goswami for Rajya Sabha.

Dhawala said, "I was directed to conduct the proceedings of the House but the required quorum is not present."

He then pressed the bell for calling the MLAs in the House and several members of BJP and Congress, including leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri and senior member Asha Kumari, arrived.

Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi expressed willingness to raise a point of order for holding a discussion on the delay, but Dhawala did not allow it.

He reiterated that the speaker had just left for having lunch.

Dhawla then asked Jubbal-Kotkhai BJP legislator from Narinder Bragta to express his views on the budget and the proceedings restarted at 2.28 pm.