Himachal Pradesh Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Restricted from Questioning Government in Assembly

Shimla, September 22: In Himachal Pradesh, under the leadership of the Congress government, six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS) cannot pose any questions to the government in the Assembly. The position of CPS is not constitutional. The Speaker of the State Assembly, Kuldeep Singh Pathania, stated on Friday that since the Chief Parliamentary Secretaries are availing of facilities provided by the state government, they do not have the right to question the government.

The Speaker mentioned that the appointment of the Chief Parliamentary Secretary is done under the law framed by the State Assembly. They are appointed to assist the relevant department’s minister. Therefore, they do not hold the status of co-ministers.

This issue was raised in the Assembly after the Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Sanjay Awasthi, asked questions to his own government during the question session, which was later withdrawn by the Speaker.

Before this, the Leader of the Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, raised the issue of Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sanjay Awasthi asking questions to his own government during the question hour through a point of order. He stated that the Chief Parliamentary Secretary enjoys the same facilities as Cabinet Ministers and, therefore, does not have the right to question his own government.

The Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, earlier stated that the position of Chief Parliamentary Secretary is not a constitutional one. He explained that the creation of this position, along with the Parliamentary Secretary, was made in 2003 following a High Court decision. These positions are created on the lines of Chief Whip and Whip.

He also mentioned that the government follows the prescribed procedure for files, and the Chief Parliamentary Secretary can also access files related to their department. According to the Constitution, the number of ministers in any state cabinet cannot exceed 12% of the total number of legislators.

Furthermore, he stated that Chief Parliamentary Secretaries are not allowed to use the national flag or any other privileges associated with their position.