Shimla, Aug. 19 -- The opening day of the monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly witnessed sharp exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches as the House took up an adjournment motion under Rule 67 for discussion on the recent natural disaster.

Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur accused the Congress government of trying to "grab the relief material sent by the BJP and people from across the state to take credit."

He alleged that ration airdropped in disaster-hit areas was "stacked at the house of a Congress leader," and BJP-sent relief trucks were stopped at check posts and pressured to hand over supplies to local officials.

"The attitude adopted by the government in this disaster is very ...