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Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania presided over the proceedings of the House on the second day of the 12th session of the 14th Legislative Assembly on Saturday, as the Monsoon Session continued amid heightened political activity following a stormy opening day.
Pathania arrived at the Legislative Assembly Secretariat ahead of the proceedings and took the formal salute before entering the premises to preside over the day's business. Before the House commenced, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan paid a courtesy visit to Speaker Pathania in his office chamber. The ongoing Monsoon Session is scheduled from August 21 to September 3, with a total of 10 sittings. The session is expected to see discussions on a range of issues concerning the state and its people, with the Opposition preparing to raise matters including development works, roads, healthcare, education, law and order and other public concerns. The official Assembly portal lists the session calendar as August 21 to September 3. The second day's proceedings came against the backdrop of a contentious opening day, when the Assembly witnessed an uproar between the ruling Congress and Opposition BJP over the singing of Vande Mataram. The first day's proceedings were disrupted shortly after the House convened, after BJP MLAs raised the issue of the national song not being sung at the beginning of the session. The protest led to slogan-shouting and an adjournment of the House. Speaker Pathania subsequently maintained that the Assembly follows its own established rules, conventions and precedents. He said the House traditionally begins proceedings with the national anthem and concludes with the national song, arguing that there was no contradiction in the existing practice. The Speaker also appealed to members of both the ruling and Opposition benches to cooperate so that legislative time could be utilised for issues of public importance. Ahead of the session, Pathania had chaired an all-party meeting in Shimla and urged members to ensure smooth functioning of the House. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harsh Vardhan Chauhan and Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania were among those present at the meeting. The Monsoon Session is significant as legislators are expected to raise constituency-level issues and seek responses from the government on matters affecting people across Himachal Pradesh. The session calendar also provides for starred and unstarred questions and other legislative business during the sittings. With the session set to continue until September 3, further sittings are expected to witness debate on issues concerning governance and development in the hill state, even as the political confrontation witnessed on the opening day has set the tone for a potentially contentious Monsoon Session. (ANI)
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