BJP stages walk-out after CM's reply in HP

Shimla, Mar 17 (UNI) The Opposition BJP members today staged a walk out from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly today after Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh finished his reply on the discussion on the Budget proposals for 2007-08, saying they were not satisfied with his reply.

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the Chief minister had failed in addressing all the vital issue concerning the people of the state.

The government has failed to check the monkey menace in the state, he said. It had let off monkeys trapped at Shimla in other parts of the state, compounding the problem of farmers, he added.

''Since we feel the government has failed in addressing the problems of the common man, we are staging a walk-out,'' he said before trooping out of the House with his party members.

Mr Singh, however, termed the BJP walk-out an attempt to garner publicity and said he had anticipated it, since it had no real issue.

UNI