By: ML Verma
Shimla: Opposition Congress today staged a walkout from the Himachal Pradesh state assembly demanding withdrawal of bus fare hike after the Chief Minister’s assurance over the issue failed to satisfy them.
Soon after Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal’s reply, Opposition leader Vidya Stokes charged that the state government should not have raised the bus fare by 30%. The Chief Minister assured the opposition leader that he would contemplate over their demand, but Stokes insisted on immediate withdrawal of fare hike, failing which the entire opposition staged a walkout, shouting slogan against the state government.
Dhumal criticized the opposition walkout and said that the UPA government raised diesel prices, due to which the state government had to take the step. Dhumal asked if the opposition was serious on this issue then why it was not in a position to say word against its own party government at the center. He said HRTC has been incurred cumulative loss of Rs 512 crore and the state government had no other option. He alleged the Congress staged a walkout as it could not digest the reality in reply over the CD case mentioned during the Chief Minister’s reply over the debate in Governor’s Thanks Address.
Forest and parliamentary affair Minister JP Nadda said the Congress broke the solemn tradition of the house by making an attempt to resort to walkout without giving any written or verbal notice to the Chair.
