Tuesday, 06 December 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Accusing the State government of running away from its responsibilities, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly Yashpal Arya has said that the deliberate shortening of the just concluded winter session and the attitude of the government during the two days of the session reflect its seriousness on the issues of public interest. He said that in the session, the Congress party discharged the duties of a responsible opposition and exercised the parliamentary procedures but the government did its best to evade the questions of the members. He alleged that the house is not functioning as per the rules of the business and traditions due to which the members are not able to raise issues of public concern in the Assembly. He said that days of the week are distributed among the chief minister and ministers for answering the questions of the members during the question hour. He said that since the session is getting over within two days it is imperative that the time to put the questions before the government would come after eight to nine months.
Taking a dig at the CM, the LoP said that the session has not been conducted on Mondays for some years. “Monday is fixed for the CM and the Parliamentary Affairs minister who have more than 40 departments between themselves. Since the session is not being organised on Mondays, the members are not able to ask questions related to the departments of CM and the Parliamentary Affairs minister. Uttarakhand is probably the only State in the country where the government is shielding its CM and the Parliamentary Affairs minister from the questions of the members. The people of the State should now ask the government as to when the Monday would come in the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha,’’ he said.
Arya further added that the MLAs of the opposition have asked the government on many occasions regarding extending the session but it has remained silent. He said that since the session is being cut short many important issues fail to come up in the house. Giving an example Arya said that since the winter session was over before Friday, a private member bill for providing jobs to the Statehood activists could not be placed in the house. Arya said that the Congress party cornered the government on the issues of law and order and unemployment by work adjournment motions during the two days of the session.
