Himachal Assembly Passes Bill: No Pension for MLAs Who Defect

Amidst heated debate, the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday passed the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Amendment Bill, 2024, aimed at keeping political turncoats at bay.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, while addressing the Assembly, praised Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania for initiating action against the defectors. "This bill upholds high traditions of democracy and seeks to prevent corrupt practices within our system.

"The action that has been taken against six members who betrayed their party is a clear case of backstabbing, not only against their own party but against the very spirit of democracy itself," the Chief Minister said.

He said the six Congress legislators who had cross-voted during the Rajya Sabha election openly defied the party whip. He recalled events, including chaotic scenes in the Assembly on February 28, when the defectors tried to disrupt the proceedings.

"There was an open display of goondaism inside the assembly," he said, adding such actions needed a strong response to defend democratic mores.

Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, also opposed the Bill and said that it may lead to the reputation of MLAs being tarnished unduly. "Members may commit mistake, but not providing them with pension is too severe."

"The decision to join another party was taken far later and the disqualification should not retrospectively affect their benefits," Thakur said.

The Bill is going to take away the Assembly membership of basically two former Congress MLAs, Devinder Bhutto and Chaitanya Sharma, who won for the first time in the 2022 Assembly elections, but were unseated after they defied party whip and remained absent during the passing of the Budget.

Going by the statement and objects for the Bill, which was tabled in the House on Tuesday by the Chief Minister, there is no provision in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative (Allowances and Pension) Act, 1971, to discourage defection by legislators under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

"It is to protect the mandate given by the people of the state, to preserve the democratic values and to have deterrence to this constitutional sin that it is necessary to bring about this amendment in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative [Allowances and Pension] Act, 1971," says the Bill.