Shimla, Aug 18 — Ahead of the start of the monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) met on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at his official residence, Oak Over, to chalk out strategy for countering the Opposition.
The meeting was attended by all ministers, Deputy Speaker Vinay Kumar, Congress legislators and Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Pratibha Chauhan. The monsoon session begins today and will continue until September 2, with a total of 12 sittings scheduled.
Vidhan Sabha officials said 981 questions have been submitted by MLAs ahead of the session, along with 13 notices each for debate under Rule 62 and Rule 130, and six under Rule 101.
Congress legislators plan to corner the BJP over the Centre’s refusal to announce a special financial package for Himachal, despite large-scale destruction of private and public property during the recent rain-induced disaster. The state government is expected to move a resolution urging the Union government to provide special relief for restoring damaged infrastructure, particularly roads, bridges and water supply schemes.
In addition to debates, several important Bills are expected to be introduced. A contentious issue likely to spark heated exchanges is the appointment of Vice Chancellors for the state’s Horticulture and Agriculture universities. Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla had earlier returned a Bill passed by the Assembly with certain objections.
Chief Minister Sukhu has already clarified that after detailed discussion in the Cabinet, the government has decided to bring fresh legislation to address the Governor’s concerns.
