The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a walkout from the State Assembly at Dharamshala on Thursday in protest against the alleged lathi-charge on Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists at Zorawar Stadium a day earlier.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur raised the issue immediately after Question Hour through a point of order, stating that the Dharamshala SDM had granted permission to the ABVP for a protest march from the taxi stand to Zorawar Stadium. The SDM had also formally informed the concerned SHO about this. Despite this, police used force against the ABVP workers, which he termed unfortunate.
The Leader of Opposition also accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of misleading the House.
He said that the Chief Minister had claimed in the Assembly the previous day that the ABVP had not been granted permission for a protest march.
He also raised the issue of alleged misbehaviour by the Shimla Urban SDM with visually impaired persons.
Thakur also pointed out the incident in which Youth Congress workers burnt an effigy of the Prime Minister outside Raj Bhavan and kicked it.
Calling the act deplorable, he questioned why no action was taken against the Youth Congress workers involved in the incident.
Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania presented the government’s position, stating that the Chief Minister had already clarified that the ABVP had only been permitted to hold a protest march, not a sit-in or rally.
Chief Minister Sukhu condemned the opposition’s walkout, alleging that the BJP did so for political mileage.
He said BJP legislators were actually keen to attend their party’s rally and used the alleged scuffle with ABVP workers as a pretext. The Chief Minister clarified that the ABVP had been allowed to conduct a protest march from the taxi stand to Zorawar Stadium, but the activists attempted to march towards the Assembly and broke barricades, leading to a clash with the police.
He said that only mild force was used.
The Chief Minister also stated that ABVP workers blocked traffic for three hours despite not having permission to obstruct the road, causing severe inconvenience to the public.