"No political agenda behind it": Vikramaditya Singh defends Himachal Pradesh's bill for defected MLAs
Sep 04, 2024
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 4 : After the Himachal Pradesh assembly passed a bill on Wednesday revoking the pension benefits of defected MLAs, State Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the bill has been brought to send a message and there is no political agenda behind it.
"CM has clarified his stand over it; it is a deterrent to ensure that the chain of events that occurred in the past does not repeat in Himachal Pradesh. It has been decided that those who betray the party should not be given facilities. The bill has been brought to send a message, there is no ill will. There is no political agenda behind it," he said.
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu justified the amendment, stating, "The MLAs who have been disqualified by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly will be excluded from pensions and allowances. This will strengthen democracy. It will be a significant lesson for those who betray their party for political gain and switch allegiances. They will think a hundred times before changing the party."
CM Sukhu further asserted that this will curb the people violating the anti-defection law.
The Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pensions) Amendment Bill 2024, was introduced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The bill was passed by a voice vote after strong criticism from opposition MLAs, who labelled the amendment as politically motivated and demanded its withdrawal.
This amendment has significant consequences for six Congress MLAs who were disqualified on February 28 for violating the party whip in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
The disqualified MLAs include Rajendra Rana from Sujanpur, Sudhir Sharma from Dharamshala, Indradutt Lakhanpal from Barsar, Ravi Thakur from Lahaul Spiti, Devendra Kumar Bhutto from Kutlehad, and Chaitanya Sharma from Gagret.
The bill will have a particularly profound impact on Devendra Bhutto and Chaitanya Sharma, who were first-time MLAs. The other four disqualified MLAs have previously held office, and two of them have since regained their seats after winning by-elections as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates.
