Dharamshala, Nov. 28 -- Amid growing criticism from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the delay in panchayat polls, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said that polls will be held in the state as soon as the Disaster Management Act is lifted. On the second day of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly's winter session, Sukhu, while responding to the adjournment motion moved by the Opposition, said that "we have postponed the Panchayat elections for some time due to the Disaster Act, not deferred them." BJP MLA Randhir Sharma on Wednesday had moved an adjournment motion under Rule 67, seeking a discussion on the delay in Panchayat polls, which was accepted by the Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania. The BJP MLA's mounted their criticism of state government over the delay in polls alleging that the Congress government is running away from elections. CM Sukhu further told the House that the process of reorganising and demarcating Panchayats began in June. "The Election Commission did its work, and the government did not interfere. However, we never imagined that a disaster even worse than the one in 2023 would occur in 2025. The disaster struck different parts of the state. Our deputy commissioners were engaged in disaster management and rehabilitation. How could they have been assigned to other tasks at such a time?," he said. "So far, whatever the state poll body said, we accepted. But from today, it will also be subject to the provisions of the Disaster Management Act in Himachal. As soon as the Act is lifted, we will hold panchayat elections. As soon as the affected families are rehabilitated, we will hold the elections. If disaster would not have occurred, we all would have been preparing for the elections right now," Sukhu said. The elections, for over 3,500 gram panchayats in the state are due for December 2025-January 2026. The term of the present panchayats will end on January 31. The state government, citing "extensive damage to both private and government properties in the districts" as well as to roads during monsoon, in October, had told the state election commission to postpone the panchayat and local bodies elections in the state "till things improve on the ground". Meanwhile, Anirudh Singh, panchayati raj minister, while speaking in the House, said, "No one has made any statement that elections have been deferred. We still have time for elections. Whenever the Disaster Management Act is implemented, all government functioning slows down and the entire focus shifts towards it. There are 631 buildings of the Panchayati raj department where we cannot hold elections. The Panchayati raj department has suffered a total loss of Rs.196 crore." A complete pandemonium prevailed in the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly after the Opposition BJP legislators entered into the well of the House to protest against the remarks made by revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi on former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur. Revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi, while speaking on the motion moved by a BJP legislator under Rule 67, launched an attack on the previous BJP government in the state and targeted former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, also leader of Opposition, in the state. The revenue minister accused the former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur of plunging the state into a "financial crisis" and remarked, "Jai Ram Thakur will be remembered as a chief minister that ruined Himachal Pradesh (aise mukhyamantri ke roop main jaane jayenge, jisne Kabaadh Kar diya Himachal Pradesh ka). The Opposition legislators, led by Jai Ram Thakur, raised slogans against Negi. The uproar erupted during the ongoing discussion on adjournment motion moved by the BJP legislator regarding the delay in panchayat polls. This led the speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania to adjourn the proceedings at around 12.40 pm till after lunch. Thakur, who was in the Opposition lounge when these remarks were made, returned immediately to the House to register his objection. Earlier during the day, the BJP legislators protested against the state government for not releasing the MLA area development fund and alleged that with restrictions on the treasury, development in the state "has come to a standstill". They came holding placards and raised anti-government slogans. They then held a sit-in protest outside the Vidhan Sabha.LoP Jai Ram said, "We are elected MLAs, and there is a provision for the area development fund in the budget. But, despite approvals by the MLAs, the treasury is holding back, and officials clearly say there is no money, and they cannot release more than Rs.10,000," adding that there could be "no bigger joke than this" in a democracy....