SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday launched a sharp attack against opposition Bharatiya Janata Party legislators, accusing them of disrespecting the National Anthem inside the state Assembly on the opening day of the monsoon session.
The confrontation erupted following disruptions in the House regarding the sequence and singing of the National Song, Vande Mataram. Chief Minister Sukhu alleged that the BJP created a deliberate row over the National Song as a strategy to divert public focus from pressing state concerns, including paper leak cases, alleged corruption, and donation irregularities (“chanda chori”) involving the opposition.
Expressing “deep regret” over the incident, Chief Minister Sukhu stated that disrespecting national symbols in the legislature set an unhealthy precedent.
“It is a matter of great regret that the Bharatiya Janata Party today insulted the National Anthem in the House. We could not have expected the BJP to disrespect the National Anthem,” Sukhu said.
According to the Chief Minister, Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania attempted to clarify the procedural sequence to the opposition members, but they refused to accept his explanation. Despite the commotion, the Speaker proceeded with the singing of the National Anthem.
Outlining parliamentary protocol, Sukhu explained that standard tradition dictates the National Anthem is sung first, followed by the National Song. He affirmed that the Assembly was scheduled to sing Vande Mataram following the National Anthem, adding that the Congress party holds the National Song in high regard and regularly performs it at its own events.
Characterizing the opposition’s actions as a parliamentary offense, Sukhu noted that neither the national BJP nor its Himachal Pradesh state unit had the right to show disrespect toward the National Anthem, adding that the public would judge their conduct.
Earlier, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, along with ministers and MLAs, raised slogans vehemently against the Bharatiya Janata Party outside the House; a large number of other leaders and Congress workers were also present on the occasion.
The opening day of the monsoon session ended up severely disrupted by the sharp exchange between the ruling Congress and the opposition benches. With multiple controversial governance issues lined up for upcoming debates, the political friction between the government and opposition is set to intensify over the remainder of the legislative session.
