The Himachal Pradesh Assembly was adjourned on Tuesday after heated exchanges between treasury and Opposition benches over allegations related to the Pekhubela project and the use of unparliamentary and objectionable language. Speaker Kuldeep Pathania was forced to adjourn the House amid uproar.
The trouble began when the Speaker ruled that the word "corruption" could not be used in the House unless supported with proof.
"Contemptuous charges made by MLAs without reference to rules will not be allowed. Indecent and provocative words that create tension will not form part of the record," the Speaker said.
Giving his ruling, he stressed that he would conduct the House strictly as per the rules.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu urged the Speaker not to remove his remarks about concessions given by the previous BJP government, saying that the present government had evidence. However, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur objected to the aspersions cast on his regime over customised packages to investors. As there was uproar in the House, the Speaker adjourned the House at 12:30 pm.
The Speaker also rejected a privilege notice submitted by Sudhir Sharma against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, saying it was not as per rules and lacked evidence. The Opposition meanwhile protested against remarks made by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi against the LoP.
Pathania reminded the House that the assembly was meant to raise public issues, not for political mudslinging. "You can represent the public voice, but what you say should be within the ambit of the rules and not have political motives," he said.
He further ruled that unedited video recordings of MLAs’ speeches would not be released to the media until cleared by the Vidhan Sabha to ensure that objectionable words and unverified allegations were not circulated by the media.
"If debate content is outside the subject matter of the issue, it will not be part of the house record. Allegations of anomalies in the Pekhubela project will not go on record, as you will have to prove and establish them. You can allege corruption, but you cannot say there was corruption," said Pathania.
The Speaker said as guardian of the House, it was his duty to maintain order and decorum.
"Powers have been given to me by the Constitution, and my decisions are final and not subject to any scrutiny. The house should run smoothly, but allegations without record cannot be part of the record," he ruled.
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