Shimla: As infighting in congress rages on, much of opposition is caught between the devil and the deep as it prepares to take on an upbeat ruling BJP with the current house holds its last session starting tomorrow.
“Presenting the much delayed set of charges against the present government is not going to take us far, given the intense leadership fight, all too visible in the public eye, taking place,” said a senior congress leader not wanting to be named.
The fallout has been that much to the embarrassment of party managers, Congress had to call of a dharna before the Vidhan Sabha that was announced for the opening day of the 4 day monsoon session. Assembly elections are slated for October-November.
Responding to the charge sheet that congress leaders handed over to President of India recently, IPH minister Ravinder Singh Ravi, said “the congress set of allegations are all concocted. We are prepared for a debate on any issue.
With much of the congress top brass camping in Delhi to try and settle issues before the high command about state leadership and election tickets, congress legislative party leader Vidya Stokes was unavailable to spell out the oppositions strategy for the upcoming session.
Ravi, who is also the parliamentary affairs minister said, “a bill providing for 33 percent reservation to women in cooperative societies would be moved by chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in the house.”
Listing out the business schedule for the upcoming session, Goverdhan Singh, secretary Vidhan Sabha said, “a total of about 17 bills are expected to be part of proposed government legislation, majority of which are amendments to be carried out in private university acts.”
Besides keeping half a day session on August 30, the last day of the session, for private members bill, there are about 130 questions listed over the four days sitting.
Belying expectations that the government would scrap the controversial Apartment Act, Singh said that no notice about it had been received from the government yet. “There still is time,” he added.
Scrapping of the Apartment Act has been recommended by a committee of the house as well as by the one man Benami Commission that had extensively dealt with unlawful land sales having taken place by gross misuse of the contentious Act.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
