Shimla, March 7 : Opposition Congress staged a walkout from Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Monday seeking expunging of remarks made by Chief MinIster Jai Ram Thakur against Congress member Jagat Singh Negi. Raising the issue Negi said on March 5, the Chief Minister and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Bhardwaj “tried to snub him and used words against him that were not in good taste”. Negi defended himself saying he “never abuses the Prime Minister while speaking on the budget as alleged by the CM” last week. “You could expunge any words I have used against the PM but I criticised the policies of the Prime Ministers and for that I can not be stoped,” Negi pointed out. The Chief Minister said though Negi did not abuse the Prime Minister but his body language was not good when speaking about the PM. Thakur also blamed that as was the case last year, during budget discussion members have indulged in mimicry of the PM which cannot be tolerated. He said: “The PM is not part of this House thus could not expected to defend himself. “Members could not be allowed to create nuisance during serious budget discussion. “Words used by me against the members on Saturday were not unparliamentary if Chair found any breach, they should be expunged.” Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar said he would look into the records. Congress members felt the decision could get one-sided and walked out. The Chief Minister condemned the walkout from the house terming it “disobeying the Chair”. Although they later returned. ML ING
