New Delhi: The Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly announced the disqualification of six Congress MLAs who sided with the BJP during the Rajya Sabha election Today. The BJP had previously applauded these MLAs for their actions, commending their “bravery” as they arrived at the assembly following a night spent in BJP-governed Haryana. However, their decision has now led to their disqualification.
The disqualified MLAs include Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, Ravi Thakur, and Chetanya Sharma. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania stated that they were disqualified for disregarding the party’s directive to vote in favor of the government on the Finance Bill during the previous session. This move came after the suspension of 15 BJP MLAs by the Speaker, following the passage of the state Budget.
The Speaker emphasized that the actions of these six MLAs were in violation of the anti-defection law. With their disqualification, the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh sees a resolution to the recent turmoil, which stemmed from concerns over a potential return to power by the BJP through a no-trust vote, given the support of these MLAs to the Opposition party in the Rajya Sabha election.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a prominent Congress leader, raised questions about the BJP’s maneuvers, particularly considering its limited strength in the assembly. With the disqualification, the Congress now holds 34 seats in the 62-member house, with three independent MLAs also having crossed over to support the BJP during the Rajya Sabha election.
Expressing her views on the situation, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra underscored the importance of democratic principles, asserting that the people of Himachal Pradesh had chosen the Congress government with a clear majority. She accused the BJP of attempting to undermine this democratic right through the misuse of financial resources, government agencies, and central power. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra conveyed these sentiments in a post on the microblogging platform X in Hindi.
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