‘Sadan jhooth da adda nahi’: AAP MLA confronts Punjab Minister in Vidhan Sabha

Gyaspura, however, asked why no administrator had been appointed for nearly four months after the sarpanch’s suspension. When Sond claimed that auction attempts had already been made earlier in the year, the MLA rejected the assertion.

“If the minister can prove that even a single auction was conducted this year, I will resign from my MLA-ship,” Gyaspura declared in the House.

He then said, “Eh sadan jhooth bolan da adda nahi hai. Iss layi ithe sach boleya jaave. (This House is not a place to tell lies. Please speak the truth here)”.

He also disputed the minister’s reply regarding the suspension of a Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) and asked why departmental proceedings were being initiated if the officer was not at fault.

Sond replied that the BDPO had been suspended in connection with an unrelated case and not in the Daulatpur matter. He also defended the department’s record, saying it had increased panchayat lease income across Punjab and promised to place detailed figures before the House in the next session.

Another AAP MLA, Kuljit Singh Randhawa, too put the government on the mat over the long-delayed tehsil complex in Dera Bassi. In a supplementary to his starred question, Randhawa said it had been 18 months since he first raised the matter, yet little had changed.

“Dera Bassi, with a population of around 15 lakh, still does not have a proper judicial and administrative complex. The DSP office, SDM office, BDPO office and tehsil office are functioning from different locations, forcing people to shuttle between offices,” he said. Randhawa reminded the government that it had announced that the complex would be completed soon, but asked, “Where does the project stand today?”

Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardip Singh Mundian said the SDM office had been shifted temporarily and new judicial complex was nearing completion. He invited Randhawa to meet him with officials on August 17 to resolve the issue at the earliest. Randhawa accepted the invitation but remarked, “Better late than never”.

Another AAP MLA, Gurdit Singh, said the existing norm of constructing watercourses for holdings of 50 acres or more was leaving many cultivators out in Faridkot. He said Faridkot was badly affected by waterlogging (sem) and also fell in the dark zone, where farmers faced restrictions on groundwater use.

He said most farmers in the constituency owned small landholdings of two to three acres and could not benefit under the existing policy. “The government should also construct common water channels for farmers owning less than 50 acres,” he said.

Replying, Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said the government had completed 39 canal works in the Faridkot Assembly segment at a cost of Rs 13.12 crore, covering 109 km. Another 23 works had been taken up during 2026-27 at a cost of Rs 18.65 crore. Of these, 17 works worth Rs 15.13 crore were nearing completion, while the remaining six projects costing Rs 3.54 crore would begin soon. Goyal said the issue of constructing watercourses for holdings below 50 acres would be taken up.

The minister added that the government had spent Rs 104 crore on relining the Sirhind Feeder to address seepage and improve water supply in the area. Three major bridges had also been built over the Rajasthan and Sirhind feeders. “In all, around Rs 188 crore has been spent on irrigation infrastructure in Faridkot,” Goyal said, assuring the House that the remaining canal works would be completed at the earliest.

Another AAP MLA Sarbjit Kaur Manuke said the newly built School of Eminence in Jagraon was facing a shortage of teachers after new students were admitted. She also questioned the government over the lack of separate toilets for boys and girls at government school in Tihara village, and asked when the issue would be resolved. She said a school at Hathur had a science stream but no science teacher, forcing villagers to arrange teaching staff on their own. She said another school, upgraded to plus two in 2017, was still waiting for sanctioned teacher posts.

Responding, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the department would look into the adjustment of teachers between schools. He said the government was recruiting 1,032 lecturers, who would be posted mainly in rural schools where vacancies were higher.

Manuke also questioned the status of funds announced during the previous Congress government for construction of 23 rooms at a school. She said an amount of Rs 80 lakh had been announced during former Chief Minister capt Amarinder Singh’s tenure but had not reached the school, and sought an inquiry into where the money had gone. Bains disputed the claim saying 23 rooms could not be constructed with Rs 80 lakh and the actual cost would be much higher. He asked the MLA to provide details and assured that the matter would be examined.

AAP MLA Naresh Kataria asked PWD minister Harbhajan Singh that work on an over bridge in Zira was going on a snail’s pace. Even the Speaker Kuktar Singh Sandhwan intervened that the work is pending for a long time and responsibility should be fixed. Harbhajan Singh assured the house that it would be expedited and completed by July 2027.