Mann govt ‘circumvents’ Gov, calls 2-day ‘extension’ of Budget session

“Under second provision to Rule 16 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly), the Speaker has been pleased to call the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, which was adjourned sine die on 20th June, 2023 to meet at 11 am on Friday, 20th October, 2023 in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha,” said a notice of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha secretariat.

While the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat has written to Governor Banwarilal Purohit informing about summoning of the session, the move is likely to further escalate the friction between the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government and the Raj Bhavan.

A senior official confirmed that the October 20-21 session will be an extension of the fourth session — the budget session in March — of the current legislative assembly. The budget session was held in two phases — first starting on March 3 and continuing till March 11 and the second from March 22 till March 24. The government had not got the Budget session prorogued by the Governor and had kept it ongoing.

Since the session has not been prorogued yet, an approval of the Governor to call a fresh sitting of the Assembly is not required and the Speaker is competent to convene it, an official said. Apart from ratifying the GST law, the government is planning to hold a discussion on MS Swaminathan report on agriculture and and may bring a resolution on SYL canal issue.

The Supreme Court on October 4 had asked the Centre to survey the portion of land in Punjab which was allocated for the construction of part of the SYL canal and make an estimate of the extent of construction carried out there. This has sparked a political slugfest within Punjab and with neighbouring Haryana.

The extended sitting of the Budget session may provide an opportunity to the government to get gubernatorial assent for four Bills which the House had passed during a special session convened on June 19 and 20. The Governor had not accorded legal sanctity to the special session stating that it could only be termed an extension of the Budget session and only budget related business could be taken up in the special session.

The four Bills passed during the special session included the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Punjab Police Amendment Bill, 2023, and the Punjab Affiliated Colleges (Security of Service) Amendment Bill, 2023.

The Bill pertaining to Punjab Police seeks to circumvent the role of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in the selection of the state police chief while one on universities seeks to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as Chancellor of state-run universities. The Bill pertaining to Sikh Gurdwaras is aimed at freeing the telecast of Gurbani from the monopoly of a channel associated with former Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal. The one on affiliated colleges seeks to streamline the working of Education Tribunal.

The Governor did not give assent to these Bills stating that the session was “patently illegal”. He had pointed out that once the business of the meeting is over and nothing remains to be transacted, the meeting cannot be artificially kept alive. However, the push by Centre to get the GST Act ratified has provided a window of opportunity for the state government.

“Since it is Centre’s requirement, the Governor may allow the ratification, thereby acknowledging the special session too. In any case, the government has a case now,” a senior official said. Once the session is adjourned sine-die, the government sends the communication to the Governor to get it prorogued. Once the session is prorogued, the government has to take permission from the Governor to call the next session.