3 min readMar 12, 2026 03:56 PM IST
First published on: Mar 12, 2026 at 03:56 PM IST
The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Thursday witnessed heated exchanges as the treasury benches pushed through a privilege motion against Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, accusing him of “insulting” elected representatives by calling them “bonded labourers” and lowering the dignity of the House.
During Zero Hour, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema moved the motion, alleging that Khaira had described legislators as “bonded labourers”, a remark he said amounted to a serious breach of privilege.
“He said we are all bonded labourers. This is an insult not just to the elected representatives sitting here but also to the people who elected them,” Cheema told the House. “He has said he will neither apologise nor rescind his statement. Such statements clearly amount to a breach of privilege, and the matter should be referred to the Privilege Committee.” Cheema also objected to what he termed “objectionable gestures” by the Congress leader during the proceedings.
“These are gestures one sees in street fights. I have never seen such gestures in this House. Perhaps he has experience of such gestures,” he said, drawing protests from the Opposition benches.
Stressing that members swear by the Constitution, Cheema said debates and disagreements were natural in a democracy, but personal insults were not. “We raise issues here, but some people only want to push their own views. They want to run their social media. Some accounts are even monetised,” he remarked, urging Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to ensure that the dignity of the House was upheld.
Shiromani Akali Dal MLA who switched to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, supported the motion, saying certain leaders had become habitual offenders.
The discussion turned into a historical reference to Dr BR Ambedkar, with Sukhi accusing the Congress of having insulted the architect of the Constitution in the past. The Speaker observed that these were matters of history while urging members to return to the issue at hand.
BSP MLA Dr Nachhatar Pal read out relevant constitutional provisions, arguing that any member violating the spirit of the Constitution could face a privilege motion.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa sought that this should be expunged. The Speaker asked him to issue a rebuttal, and he will get it expunged if he feels the need.
This is unfair: Partap Singh Bajwa
When the Speaker read out the motion for voting, Bajwa objected to the move, telling him that the Opposition too had the right to bring its own motion. “We want to bring a resolution against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his ‘objectionable’ reference on women. Is this the way a CM should refer to young women? But that motion is not allowed. This is unfair.” The Speaker disallowed by repeating twice, “Not allowed…not allowed.”
Later, AAP MLA Rajinder Pal Kaur Chhina formally read out the resolution seeking a privilege motion against Khaira and its reference to the Privilege Committee. Amid continued sloganeering from Opposition members, the resolution was put to a vote and passed by a majority voice vote, with the treasury benches asserting that the House must protect its dignity and privileges. On the recommendation of the House, the matter has been referred to the Special Privileges Committee.
Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira 
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