The deadlock over suspension of five Congress MLAs on the first day of the budget session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on 26 February continued as the principal Opposition party boycotted the proceedings of the House again today. All the Congress MLAs sat silently in protest outside the Assembly gate wearing black masks and black badges, with senior most legislator and former six-time chief minister, octogenarian Virbhadra Singh, and HP Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore also joining them. Five Congress MLAs — including Leader of the Opposition (LOP) Mukesh Agnihotri — were suspended from the Assembly after the incident of alleged “gherao” of Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and manhandling of his staff as he was going back to Raj Bhawan after his brief address in the Assembly on 26 February. The Congress was upset over the brief address of the Governor, which they said had no content. “I have been chief minister of Himachal Pradesh six times in the past and Jai Ram Thakur has become chief minister for the first time. Had I been the chief minister at this moment, I would have immediately resolved this issue,” Virbhadra Singh told reporters here. He said such a deadlock is not good and he has never seen such a stalemate. Singh said the Congress MLAs have every right to protest and he fully supported them. LOP Agnihotri said the Congress was up against the “undemocratic” BJP government. “They have killed democracy. It is a black day in the history of Himachal,” he said. The LOP said the 26 February incident could not be blamed on the Congress MLAs. “The onus is on the chief minister Jai Ram Thakur as he is responsible for the entire episode. There is no question of us going to the Governor. Rather, the CM should apologise,” he said. He said the government has deployed a large number of cops in and around the Assembly and have closed the gates for the Opposition MLAs. “The chief minister has been talking in a totally dictatorial manner,” he charged. He said the chief minister was “angry” as the Congress raised voice against issues like price rise and unemployment. Agnihotri said the onus was on the chief minister to resolve the stalemate. “The Governor’s address was a bundle of lies,” he said. He said so far there was no official communication to the Congress Legislature Party for any dialogue on the issue from the Thakur government. “We are protesting here. We will take to roads if a solution is not worked out,” he said. The Thakur-led BJP dispensation has been condemning the Congress MLAs for their alleged role in the 26 February incident in the Assembly premises, even as it has asked them to apologise to the Governor over it. The Congress MLAs had staged a walkout from the House again yesterday over the row. The five Congress MLAs were suspended on the first day of budget session for the entire session till 20 March for allegedly blocking the passage of Governor, manhandling his staff outside the Speaker’s gate and banging his official vehicle when he was going back to Raj Bhawan after his address in the Assembly on 26 February. They are also facing a FIR for alleged assault on the Governor. In protest against suspension of their party colleagues, the Congress members have not participated in any proceedings of the House after the first day, except for obituary references.

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