Shimla, Feb. 17 -- Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Monday cut short his customary address to the assembly on the opening day of the Budget Session and concluded in just over two minutes, in a development that is the latest in a series of standoffs between the governor and state governments in non-BJP ruled states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Shukla read the first two paragraphs of his speech and refused to read paragraphs 3 to 16 of the text prepared by the state's Congress government. "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 assembly. He pointed out that paragraph 17 onwards of the 130-paragraph speech contained the government's achievements, which the House should deliberate upon. The skipped portion of the address reportedly contained remarks on the discontinuation of the revenue deficit grant (RDG) to the Himalayan state as per the recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu sought to downplay the standoff, saying it was "not an exception" and that governors have skipped addresses in the past as well. He, however, remained firm on the state's financial grievance, remarking: "This is not about the government; RDG is our right. Do not harm the rights of the state." RDG earlier constituted 12.7% of the Himachal Pradesh's annual budget, and with the grant's discontinuation, the state faces an annual loss of Rs.10,000 crore. The government has called for a three-day deliberation under Rule 102 on RDG, with Sukhu urging the opposition BJP to "rise above party lines" and join the government in approaching the Centre to restore state's financial rights. Leader of the opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the governor concluding his address in just over two minutes was "not a good sign". In the recent past, governors in several non-BJP ruled states either declined or curtailed their customary address in the assembly. On February 5, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose ended his address in the assembly at the start of budget session after four-and-a-half minutes. Last month, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi refused to deliver his address after objecting to content prepared by the DMK-led state government....