BJP attacks Virbhadra over House adjournment

Shimla, Aug 12: Irked by the premature adjournment of the Monsoon Session, the BJP legislature party has decided to meet the Governor tomorrow and demand dissolution of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.

Alleging that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh pressed for adjourning the House sine die to evade discussion on important issues, BJP said if he is so scared to face the opposition, he should dissolve the House.

"The ruling party is running away from discussions on important issues and if the chief minister is so scared of facing the opposition, he should dissolve the House and seek fresh elections," leader of the opposition P K Dhumal said.

Expressing surprise over the chief minister's claim that the House had no further business to transact, Dhumal said important issues like the activities of drug and mining mafia, Lokayukta and TCP act were pending and the opposition members had given notices for discussions on several other issues and there was agenda for the full session.

Dhumal said he had never seen such an intolerant chief minister who is not ready to accept the "right of the opposition" to protest. Protest is a part of the democratic process and even Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had recently entered into the well of Lok Sabha as a mark of protest, he said.

He said if the Governor did not act, the party would meet President Pranab Mukherjee with its demand.

PTI