Congress MLAs in Punjab walk out, boycott Vidhan Sabha special session

Bajwa said the Opposition wanted the AAP government to table the action taken report on the alleged ‘Operation Lotus’ where a number of AAP MLAs had accused the BJP of horse-trading. Bajwa said it had been nine months since the AAP MLAs levelled allegations that they were offered “Rs 25 to Rs 50 crore” to switch loyalties to the BJP. He added that there was ambiguity over the matter with no details of the FIR in ‘Operation Lotus’ being made available. He also alleged that Rs 6 crore of taxpayers’ money was wasted when AAP MLAs alleged ‘Operation Lotus’ as there was a three-and-a-half-hour debate involving the CM and Opposition leaders.

Bajwa also lashed out at the AAP government for bringing in a Bill to amend Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 and cited historical references to say that “any amendment in the Act could only be made after getting approval from the SGPC [Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee]”. He also said that the Punjab government cannot amend the Act as Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh were also involved as SGPC had members from there as well.

Without question hour and zero hour, Bajwa said, holding a session served no purpose. The Congress, he added, would have welcomed the session had it been called to discuss issues like immigration fraud at a time when several Indian students face deportation from Canada.

Bajwa also alleged that “a bureaucrat of the current government was shielding the travel agent Brajesh Mishra” in the “scam running into Rs 140 crore with each of the students paying Rs 20 lakh [to go to Canada]”.

The leader of the Opposition said the Congress MLAs wanted to raise issues like corruption, mining, drug, law and order, the illegal occupation of the house of an NRI in Jagraon, the [minister Lal Chand] Kataruchak issue etc.

It would have been better had the session been called to safeguard Punjab’s rights, which the Centre was “encroaching upon”, Bajwa said, accusing the AAP government of locking horns with the governor and the SGPC only because it enjoyed a majority.

He also accused the AAP government of introducing the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023 “in violation of the Supreme Court order and the Constitution” for the appointment of the state director general of police.

In the Opposition’s absence, the House passed a resolution condemning the Centre for withholding Rural Development Fund to the tune of Rs 3622.40 crore and recommended that the issue be taken up with the Centre.