Himachal Assembly : Lawmakers; Please Don't Turn Into Law-Breakers

What happened in Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Friday was most undemocratic and unfortunate. Law-makers are not expected to be law-breakers. Congress legislators tried to disrupt the Governor’s address and he had to abruptly end his speech saying may be considered as read.

After this, the Governor and the ministers went to have tea, while the Congress legislators went and sat outside the gate from where Dattatraya had to leave. The Congress MLAs led by CLP Leader Mukesh Agnihotri blocked the vehicle of the Governor as Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and ministers looked helplessly. And then, the ministers helped police to push away the Congress legislators as Agnihotri lay on the bonnet of the Governor’s vehicle. If the Congress lawmakers' behavior was unbecoming so was ministers. Policing is not ministers' job.

I had covered Himachal assembly for many years but never saw such unruly behavior by both ministers and Congress legislators. On the contrary, proceedings of the HP assembly used to be much smooth and peaceful than neighboring Punjab, Haryana and Jammu& Kashmir where more than often blows used to be traded, mikes and even shoes used to be thrown. In September 2016 on the last day of the Punjab assembly’s session, a Congress MLA hit Bikram Majithia, a minister, with his shoe.

Whatever may be the reasons for the provocation of Congress MLAs and CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri, law makers are expected to honor the rules and regulations. No one, whether Congress or BJP has the right to take law into their hands.

The Congress legislative party has become more aggressive under Mukesh Agnihotri leadership. Probably, he wants to show the word his firy spirit, he had inherited from his erstwhile journalism profession. He had worked for The Express Group Hindi newspaper which used to be guided by the "Investigative Journalism" of Express Group.

But politics is quite different from journalism and party in-charge of the state Rajiv Shukla would bear this. Confrontation and aggressiveness in politics just breed more confrontation and only harms the democracy. All contentious issues need to be solved by debate. Congress would have the opportunity to slam the address on 'motion of thanks'. Yesterday happenings did no good to the Congress. On the contrary it led to the suspension of five Congress legislators, including Mukesh Agnihotri for insulting the Governor.

Let the good sense prevail upon our lawmakers. Those who make law should see to it laws are never breached. Our lawmakers have already mocked the anti-defection law.

(Chander Sharma)