Jan Manch discontinued, BJP creates ruckus in Himachal Vidhan Sabha

Tribune News Service

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, March 22

The Vidhan Sabha today witnessed an uproar over the government decision to discontinue the Jan Manch, a flagship programme of the previous BJP government. Opposition MLAs created a ruckus, forcing Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania to adjourn the House.

Trouble broke out when Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh informed the House during the Question Hour that the government had decided to discontinue the Jan Manch. To Jwalamukhi MLA Sanjay Rattan’s question, he said that 258 Jan Manch events were held in the past five years to address 43,000 complaints at a cost of Rs 5.34 crore.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, “Every government has a right to launch new schemes. Soon, we will launch a new programme for the redress of public grievances that doesn’t humiliate officers and employees. I have repeated this thrice but still the Opposition remains adamant on its continuation, which is strange.”

He said that it was strange that Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur was insisting that the Jan Manch should be continued though it was our government’s prerogative to whether stop it and launch a new scheme.

Sukhu said that the previous government had spent Rs 53.4 crore on holding 258 Jan Manch events and 43,726 complaints were received. “I do not have any problem with the Jan Manch programme on which Rs 2.70 crore was spent on food and Rs 2.63 crore on tents but the manner in which officials were humiliated publicly was objectionable,” he added.

Though the Question Hour had ended, Thakur said that he had a serious objection to “this attitude of the Congress government to close down everything that his government had started”. He added, “As a responsible Opposition, we will continue to protest against anti-people decisions of the government. I request the Chief Minister to reconsider the decision to discontinue the Jan Manch.”

As the Speaker ordered that the debate on the Budget proposals be started, the BJP legislators trouped into the well of the House. Congress and BJP MLAs resorted to sloganeering and nothing could be heard in the din. The pandemonium continued and the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes after the BJP legislators did not heed to his request to take their seats.

Later, when the House reassembled, Thakur said that the discontinuation of the Jan Manch would hurt public sentiments, as it gave an opportunity to people from far-flung areas to air their grievances before elected representatives and officials.

‘Lunch Munch’

The Jan Manch was a ‘Lunch Manch’ programme where employees were humiliated. I had been a victim myself, as a case was registered against me when I went to a Jan Manch event to raise an issue. — Jagat Negi, Revenue Minister

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