Himachal Pradesh: Congress walks out of assembly over Old Pension Scheme

The opposition Congress on Saturday staged a walkout from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly during the Question Hour, seeking an adjournment motion for discussion on the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

The Congress legislators sought the adjournment motion under Rule 67 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Legislative Assembly. However, Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar refused to allow the motion.

Terming their walkout "unfortunate", Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said it was Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government which implemented the New Pension Scheme after withdrawing OPS in 2004.

Thakur said he believed Singh had withdrawn OPS after due consideration and that some of the incumbent Congress MLAs were in his council of ministers at the time.

 

Had the Congress been serious in restoring OPS, it would have done so when the Singh-led government came back to power in 2012, he added.