Himachal Assembly winter session begins Nov 26; opposition gears up for showdown

Shimla/Dharamsala (HP), Nov 25 (PTI) The winter session of Himachal Pradesh Assembly, from Wednesday in Dharamshala, is expected to be stormy, with the opposition BJP set to raise issues, including unfulfilled poll promises and rising law and order concerns.

The BJP is also likely to highlight the deferring of Panchayat and urban local body elections, the closure of key institutions, increasing unemployment, and the Congress government's failure to fulfil its election promises, including providing Rs 1,500 per month to women aged 18 to 57, creating one lakh jobs annually, and purchasing milk at Rs 100 per litre.

Opposition leaders plan to target the ruling Congress over the closure of educational, revenue, health, PWD, electricity, and other institutions, delays in disaster relief distribution, and rising cases of heinous crimes like rape, murder, and shootings.

The BJP is also concerned about speculation that the Congress government may attempt to amend Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, which restricts non-agriculturists and non-Himachalis from purchasing agricultural land without government permission. The BJP has stated it would oppose such a move.

The ten-day-long 10th session of the 14th Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, featuring eight sittings, will be the longest-ever winter session held at the Tapovan Vidhan Sabha complex in Dharamshala, said Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania during a media briefing on Tuesday.

Pathania explained that the session, traditionally held in December, has been advanced to late November this year to avoid the inconvenience caused by the heavy influx of tourists in Dharamsala during the winter season.

The Assembly Secretariat has received 744 questions—both starred and unstarred—from MLAs for the upcoming session. All questions were submitted online, although offline arrangements were also made available. Pathania added, "We are among the leading legislatures in the country in terms of digital readiness." He further stated that the Secretariat has received 11 notices under Rule 62, four under Rule 63, seven under Rule 101, sixteen under Rule 130, and one notice under Rule 324. The session will conclude on December 5. PTI COR BPL HIG HIG