Anti-defection law vital for democracy, separate hill policy needed: Himachal CM Sukhu

Dharamshala/Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that anti-defection law is a must in safeguarding democracy and also advocated for separate policy for the hill states.

Speaking at the two-day annual conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), India Region Zone-2 at Tapovan in Dharamshala, Sukhu said a robust anti-defection law is crucial for the integrity of democratic institutions.

The conference was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

"For the first time in the history of Himachal Pradesh, an attempt was made to overthrow a democratically elected government. However, the Speaker of Vidhan Sabha took a lawful stance and disqualified the concerned MLAs", the chief minister said.

He added that the state Vidhan Sabha has passed a bill to stop the pensions of disqualified legislators, which was currently awaiting the governor's approval.

Sukhu was referring to the 2024 Rajya Sabha elections in which three independents and six Congress MLAs voted in favour of the BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan who won despite Congress being in power.

The cross voting led to disqualification of nine MLAs and subsequent by-elections.

He also raised the issue of conducting by-elections only once a year under the proposed 'One Nation, One Election' framework and requested the Lok Sabha speaker to take up the matter at an appropriate forum, a statement issued here said.

"Nation cannot prosper if the states will not progress", the chief minister said while advocating for separate policy for the hill states keeping in view the tough topography.

He said that Himachal has suffered due to the implementation of GST and therefore a separate policy should be formulated for hill states.

Himachal Pradesh has become a model for other states, especially in terms of digital democracy. In 2014, the Vidhan Sabha became the first completely paperless Assembly in the country, with all proceedings conducted digitally, he added.

The conference witnessed the participation of speakers, deputy speakers, chief whips, and deputy chief whips from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir, all part of Zone-2.

Additionally, the speakers of the Legislative Assemblies of Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Telangana were present as special guests, the statement added.

This conference was a significant initiative towards strengthening democratic institutions, enhancing legislative processes, fostering democratic dialogue, and promoting regional cooperation, Sukhu said.

He reiterated that the government was committed to 'Vyavastha Parivartan' (change in system) for ensuring good governance and also highlighted the achievements of Congress government in the last two and half years, the statement further said.

Speaker of Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, Kuldeep Singh Pathania, said that for the past two decades the winter session of the Assembly has been conducted in Dharamshala and this conference marks a new beginning for many such future events in the region.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan also called for concerted efforts to strengthen democracy and expressed concern over the threat posed by defection by the legislators.