Chandīgarh: Amid stormy scenes, Punjab’s leader of opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa questioned the legality of the two-day assembly session and said that the state is facing a “constitutional crisis.” Bajwa asked speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to clarify whether the session was legal after governor Banwarilal Purohit’s objection.
Speaking during question hour after the House reassembled following obituary references, Bajwa sought clarification from the speaker.
“Punjab is facing a constitutional crisis, one it has not seen in 75 years. The governor has already termed the Vidhan Sabha session illegal and void. He has withheld the approval of the money Bills. When the session is already termed illegal, what are we here to discuss?” Bajwa said.
The speaker said he was not in receipt of any letters written to chief minister Bhagwant Mann by the governor but assured the House that the session was legal.
“As a speaker, this chair considers this session as legal. I have not received any letter from the Governor regarding the illegality of this session,” Sandhwan asserted.
But Bajwa stuck to his stand and said, “They (the government) say that they have to take up important issues, including the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal, thus we want that first the government should clarify over objections of the governor.”
Sandhwan’s repeated assertions did not satisfy Bajwa and other opposition MLAs and they stormed the well of the House asking the speaker to give a clear-cut ruling.
In the absence of chief minister, excise and taxation minister Harpal Cheema jumped in support of the speaker and asked the Congress MLAs to stop protesting.
“Bajwa and other members of the opposition were demanding clarification from the speaker and since the chair has made it clear that the session is legal the issue ends automatically,” Cheema said.
Cheema alleged that the opposition was doing a drama to run away from the core issues like the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal.
Later in the Zero Hour as well, Bajwa again raised the issue of the legality of the session.
Bajwa raises Bargari sacrilege cases issue
Bajwa also raised the issue of delay in justice in Bargari sacrilege cases while pointing to the Facebook post of AAP MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh in which he has raised fingers at the ongoing probe.
Bajwa said it’s a very serious issue as the MLA, who had quit his job to serve Punjab, has claimed that witnesses in the case are being forced to turn hostile.
“It’s a very serious issue as the ex-IG has claimed that he has become a political victim,” Bajwa said.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh raised the issue of SSP Tarn Taran Gurmeet Chauhan’s transfer after the police booked a close relative of a local MLA in an illegal mining case.
House pays tributes to MS Gill, Bir Devinder Singh
Earlier, the House proceedings began with the Speaker reading out obituary references.
The House remembered former Union minister and ex-chief election commissioner Manohar Singh Gill, former Punjab deputy speaker Bir Devinder Singh, former parliamentary secretary Gurbinder Singh Atwal, former MLA Ram Kishan Kataria, freedom fighters Jaimal Singh, Anokh Singh and Darshan Singh, Colonel Manpreet Singh, sepoy Pardeep Singh, sepoy Parvinder Singh, sepoy Tarandeep Singh, professor Balbir Chand Verma; Dr Amar Singh Azad; and singer Surinder Shinda besides farm scientist MS Swaminathan.
