Uproar in Punjab Vidhan Sabha as Cong corners AAP govt on law and order, stages a walkout

Earlier, members of all four opposition parties, including Congress, BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), had raised slogans against the Speaker in the well of the House. While BJP joined Congress in the walkout, SAD and BSP stayed back.

At the onset of zero hour, leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa read out the communication by the Speaker to the Congress. “The Speaker has written to us that the adjournment motion is disallowed as the issue is subjudice. How can the entire law and order be subjudice?” Bajwa asked, demanding that the adjournment motion be allowed as the issue was of grave concern to the state.

Bajwa also sought a clarification from Leader of the House Bhagwant Mann on his video statement that his life was in danger. “I would not have sought this discussion on the law and order situation had the chief minister not said in a video that his life was in danger. If the life of the state’s chief minister is not safe, it says a lot about the state of affairs,” Bajwa said.

He added that not only politicians, but traders and businessmen were also getting threat calls. “What kind of situation is this? Our former deputy chief minister O P Soni has also received threat calls. It is a serious matter,” Bajwa pointed out.

As the sloganeering continued, Bajwa demanded that Mann address the House on the issue. Earlier, when Bajwa asked Mann to speak about the threat to his life, the chief minister was seen asking Bajwa to sit down and telling him not to waste the time of the House. Later, the Speaker announced that Mann would address the House on the issue before Saturday noon.

Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira seconded Bajwa and said that businessmen too were getting threat calls. “Bajwa’s concerns are not unfounded…especially after the CM claimed his life was in danger,” he said.

Congress leaders also protested the short duration of the budget session, prompting the Speaker to explain that the budget session had to be conducted before June 30 as the vote of account was only till then.

‘Experience will stay here if I am shot in the evening’

During the protests by Congress leaders seeking a discussion on the law and order situation in the state, the Speaker asked MLA Partap Singh Bajwa to ensure that the House proceedings were conducted peacefully. He requested that Bajwa should cooperate as he was an experienced leader. Bajwa, who was at his oratorial best during the session, said, “Experience will stay here if I am shot in the evening. I reckon that life is most important. I am concerned about the safety of residents of the state.”