Himachal Plot Thickens: Speaker Expels 15 BJP MLAs Over 'Misconduct'

15 BJP MLAs were expelled on Wednesday by Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker for shouting slogans and misconduct in the Speaker's Chamber.

As many as 15 MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party were expelled on Wednesday by the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker for shouting slogans and misconduct in the Chambe of Speaker, reported news agency ANI. Among the suspended legislators also was Himachal Assembly Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur. 

  

The legislators that have been suspended are: Jairam Thakur, Vipin Singh Parmar, Randheer Sharma, Lokender Kumar, Vinod Kumar, Hans Raj, Janak Raj, Balbir Verma, Trilok Jamwal, Surender Shori, Deep Raj, Puran Thakur, Inder Singh Gandhi, Dileep Thakur. 

Union minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur said termed the Speaker's action as "inappropriate" saying the Congress government "used the moment to show their anger". 

"No matter how much injustice they (Congress) do, it is of no use. One thing is clear, the people of Himachal were not ready to accept an outsider as the Rajya Sabha candidate of Congress, even their own MLAs were not ready to accept this," Thakur said. 

"They used the moment to show their anger... What the Speaker did was inappropriate...if they don't have numbers, they themselves gave the first example of it," he added.  

The move comes just hours after the BJP legislators, led by Thakur, reached Raj Bhawan to meet with Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla following the Congress' loss in the Rajya Sabha polls as the saffron party mulls to bring a no-confidence motion against the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's government in the state. 

After meeting the Governor, Thakur cast apprehension that the Speaker might suspend the BJP MLAs and the Congress legislators who cross voted in the Tuesday polls. 

"We have informed the Governor about what happened in the Assembly...In the Assembly, when we demanded a division of vote during the financial bill, it was not allowed and the House was adjourned twice," said the former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister. 

"The way Marshals behaved with our MLAs was not right. We have a doubt that the Vidhan Sabha Speaker can suspend BJP MLAs and some MLAs of Congress who voted for BJP in Rajya Sabha elections, can also be suspended," he added. 

On being asked about floor test on Tuesday, the Himachal LoP said, "We want that to happen...Budget will be presented tomorrow. We will discuss the Budget tomorrow and then we will see the situation there. But I can see that the Government has lost the majority."