Cheema-Khaira exchange barbs, Cong walks out as Speaker denies resolution on Mann

As the zero hour commenced, treasury bench (AAP) MLAs protested vigorously against Khaira’s presence. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema directly confronted Khaira in sharp exchanges, with both leaders daring and challenging each other to “come outside the House”. Thumping his chest the Finance Minister challenged Khaira, “jithe marzi aa ja” (come wherever you want to).

“Yesterday a very important issue was raised in the House on the comment by Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

I want to congratulate the opposition and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa for when a resolution was moved  condemning the comments, the opposition also condemned it. This man has gone to the making remarks about our mothers and daughters. We were not born with silver spoon in our mouth,” said Cheema.

At this point Khaira made a taint at Cheema who shouted back at him and could be heard asking him to ‘come out’.  “Speaker sahib he does badmashi in vidhan sabha. Tere varge kayiyan di badmashi kaddi hai (have sorted out many goons like you),” said the finance minister to Khaira who too was gesticulating and replying to Cheema but his voice could not be heard.

As the Congress MLAs stood up, the AAP Ministers and MLAs also gathered around Cheema. Holding up a copy of the Constitution, Cheema said, “He calls us bandhua mazdoor (bonded labourers). I am proud I was born in a house of bonded labourer. He should tender unconditional apology. His membership should be terminated.

He used to play dirty when he was in our party, then when he was in Cong and also in Akali Dal,” said Cheema. Calling Khaira an expert in using unparliamentary language, Cheema alleged that Khaira made someone else sit for him in class 12 examination to pass and told the Speaker, “I will pay for his treatment”. At this point the Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa interjected and asked the Speaker, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, to allow Khaira to make a statement. “We have read the tweet of our member. If it is the matter of sentiments of women members we expressed our regrets. I had requested that when something has bene said outside the House the House cannot gake cognisance of it. Let the member come and explain his statement. You are custodian of the House, you can do anything,” he said. The LoP further said the Congress party had brought a condemnation resolution against the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his alleged derogatory comments against women. The Speaker immediately interjected and said the resolution was not allowed and asked for the mic of Bajwa to be switched off.

“A member who writes on his verified Facebook Page on women, you are shielding that and you are bringing a new issue. If that member apologies then I can allow this. Without apologising you are not allowed to dodge it,” he said even as the ruckus continued in the House and it was adjourned for 20 minutes. Khaira re-entered the House after it resumed even as AAP MLAs demanded his expulsion from the assembly. A woman AAP MLA said there was no remorse on Khaira’s face and he was sitting arrogantly with one leg crossed over another.  The Speaker interjected at this point and asked Khaira to sit properly. “You cannot sit with one leg crossed on another,” he said. The LoP Partap Singh Bajwa said the Congress MLAs had held a meeting with the Speaker on his invitation. “I would ask the entire house to peacefully allow him (Khaira) to speak. Without listening to him you passed the resolution yesterday and we do not agree with it,” he said

The Speaker said that he gives no assurance that Khaira can speak without first apologising for his remarks.

Bajwa remonstrated that how could an apology be sought without first hearing Khaira’s explanation to which the Speaker said, “No”.

He went in to ask Khaira, “Do you apologise for making derogatory Comments on women?”. Khaira shouted back that he will not apologise.

The Treasury and opposition MLAs again started shouting at each other at this point and the Congress MLAs conducted a walk out..

Education minister Harjot Singh Bains asked the Vidhan Sabha to take action against Khaira. “Harpal Cheema has been called bonded labour. It is a crime to call anyone that under The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. Entire  dalit community and legal community has been mocked as Harpal Cheema is also an advocate and former president of Sangrur Bar Association. The House needs to take action,” he said.

Later, in a post on X, Sukhpal Khaira said, “Very tragic to see Vidhan Sabha being turned into a theatre of mockery and intimidation….The below verse of Guru Granth Sahib ji aptly fits the brutal mindset of Aam Aadmi Party MLA’s: Ranaan hoyiaan bodhiaan, purus hoye sayiyaad (Guru Nanak Dev’s verses)”

“The above verse means “when men turn away from god and becomes cruel and women become their advisors”

“This is exactly how women MLA’s are backing their male colleagues who are responsible for fake    encounters, brutality upon farmers,cruelty upon employees etc”.

“I was present in the Vidhan Sabha but was not allowed to speak or present my defense against the vicious and malicious campaign orchestrated against me by Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal,” he said.

Later speaking to media outside the House, Sukhpal Singh Khaira said, “Everything is illegal and one-sided. I was not given the opportunity of hearing… If a condemnation was brought upon me, then what about the words used by Bhagwant Mann for women on Women’s Day?… I want to ask this to the Speaker and the government today… Our party has filed a complaint with the National Commission for Women, requesting that Bhagwant Mann be summoned. I did not say anything disrespectful against women, I just quoted a YouTuber…”