Shimla, February 16 In an unusual move, Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla concluded his address to the Assembly on the opening day of the Budget Session in just over two minutes, skipping a portion of the speech he termed "comments on a constitutional institution."
The incident was the latest in a series of standoffs between the governor and non-BJP state governments – in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.
After reading the first two paragraphs of his speech, the governor said he would not read paragraphs 3 to 16 of the 130-paragraph prepared text.
"I think there are comments on a constitutional institution from paragraphs 3 to 16, which I don't think I should read," the governor told the House, noting that the address from paragraph 17 onwards contained the government's achievements, which would be subject to deliberations by the legislators.
This is for the first time a Himachal Pradesh governor has skipped the address, avoiding the content of the address. However, in 2015, Kalyan Singh, holding additional charge as Himachal Pradesh governor, did not read the address on health grounds, requesting that the speech be taken as read.
The governor told the House that the session has been convened for passing the supplementary demands for grants for 2025-26, the state budget for the financial year 2026-27, and for important legislative businesses.
The skipped portion of the address reportedly focused on the discontinuation of the revenue deficit grant (RDG) as per the recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission, sources said.
To recall, in 2024, 2025, and 2026, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi refused to deliver his address after objecting to its content.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan made the shortest-ever policy address in the Assembly in 2024, which lasted little over a minute, omitting sections that criticised the Central government.
The same year, Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot read only the first and last lines of the address.
Speaking to mediapersons, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the governor's decision was "not an exception," referring to previous instances where governors deviated from the prepared speech.
The RDG is our right. We are not asking for any charity as Himachal is a hill state where revenue generation is inherently limited due to natural resources and geographical constraints," he said.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the governor concluding his address in just over two minutes was "not a good sign".
The address reportedly described the discontinuation of the RDG as a matter of "serious concern" for small and hill states, saying Himachal's economy will "suffer heavy losses".
