Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Session Disrupted Over National Anthem and Song Vande Mataram

On the first day of the monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Friday, there was a ruckus inside and outside the house. After the national anthem, the opposition party BJP demanded to sing the national song Vande Mataram in the house, which led to a heated argument between the ruling party and the opposition. Amid the increasing ruckus and sloganeering, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania adjourned the house till Saturday. As soon as the house started functioning, BJP MLAs demanded to sing the national anthem. Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said that as per the tradition of the assembly, the session starts with the national anthem, while the national anthem is sung at the end of the proceedings. After this decision of the speaker, the opposition started sloganeering inside the house, while the members of the ruling party also stood up in protest. In view of the increasing noise between the two sides, the speaker adjourned the house. After the adjournment, the political confrontation continued outside the house.