Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, August 19
The Himachal Pradesh assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Tuesday as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu accused the previous BJP government of misusing public money, including funds meant for the state’s Himcare health insurance scheme. Sukhu said the opposition was “directionless” and divided, pointing to repeated walkouts by BJP legislators during the monsoon session. He added that the state government was ready to approach the Centre for disaster relief, even under the leadership of opposition leader Jai Ram Thakur.
The row began when BJP MLAs alleged that the Congress government had ended the Himcare scheme, forcing poor families to pawn jewellery to afford treatment. Jai Ram Thakur accused ministers of mocking the issue in the house, calling their conduct “inhuman”.
Health Minister Dhaniram Shandil responded that the scheme had ₹364 crore in pending liabilities and had been marred by irregularities, which the government was addressing. His remarks triggered uproar, leading to opposition walkouts.
The assembly also saw sharp exchanges over comments by Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi during recent disaster relief operations. BJP legislators accused him of making “insensitive” remarks, while Negi countered that the opposition had “insulted the national flag” in Siraj and was undermining democratic traditions.
Sukhu defended Negi as one of the cabinet’s most influential voices, saying the BJP was targeting him “for speaking the truth”. He accused the opposition of avoiding debate on real issues and instead staging walkouts “to stay in the headlines and protect their positions”.
