Gloves off in Punjab, with special Assembly session Mann govt gears up for face-off with Governor, takes on Akalis

While Mann delivered the first blow, saying Purohit “does not need to interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the state”, the Governor who only last week slammed the CM for not responding to the 10-odd letters he had sent to the CMO, hit back on Wednesday. “I will examine the four Bills passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. I will get those examined constitutionally. If these are not as per the Constitution, I will reject them,” Purohit said.

A direct affront to the Governor’s authority is in the Punjab University Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023, which seeks to remove him as the chancellor of state varsities and give this position to the CM instead. (Punjab thus joins other Opposition states in trying to pass such a legislation.)

Justifying the change, Mann argued, “It is surprising that the Governor knows nothing about the state but is empowered to appoint the VCs, which is totally unfair.” “Instead of securing the interests of the state, the Punjab Governor is often seen on the other side,” the CM said, accusing the Governor of trying to favour Haryana in Panjab University.

The other contentious resolution passed by the Mann government pertains to the levy put by the state of 3% each as RDF and Market Development Fees (MDF) on wheat and paddy MSP. The Assembly passed a resolution, giving an ultimatum to the Union government to release the RDF by the end of this month or face consequences. As CM Mann put it: “I hope Centre releases the fund soon, otherwise the Supreme Court is opening on July 1.”

The state says the Centre owes it RDF money to the tune of Rs 3,622.40 crore, a sum the cash-strapped state government can ill afford to lose, considering its mounting power subsidy bill. The state maintains that the RDF is a statutory fund and the Centre can’t stop it. The Centre, however, seems to have made up its mind, for it has not only stopped giving the RDF to the state, but has also reduced the MDF by 1%.

Then there is the AAP government’s frosty relationship with the Opposition, which might only turn frostier. The passage of the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Act, 2023, requires the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to ensure free-to-air live telecast of Gurbani from Golden Temple in Amritsar. The CM said the Bill makes the Gurbani “available free of cost to the entire humanity” and ensures that it is not commercialised.

So far, the Gurbani would be telecast only on PTC, a channel in which Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Badal has a majority stake. The Akali Dal, which exercises control over the SGPC, has accused Mann of “declaring war against the Sikh community”.

The Akali Dal has also threatened to approach Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the National Commission for Minorities against the Bill. Senior BJP leaders such as Sunil Jakhar have also condemned the Bill, calling it an interference in Panthic matters.

The way the amendment was passed, through a voice note, was also criticised by the Opposition. MLAs from the Akali Dal and its ally the BSP walked out condemning the move and so did the Congress, which is the main Opposition.

Partap Singh Bajwa, the Leader of the Opposition, said the AAP distributed the agenda only half-an-hour before the session. The BJP was already boycotting the two-day session.

The Assembly session also passed the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023, that aims to empower the state government to appoint a Director General of Police (DGP) of its own choice by circumventing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). If passed by the Governor, it will enable the Punjab government to form a seven-member committee that can choose the DGP from a panel of three of the senior-most officers in the state.

But experts are already pointing to previous apex court rulings to show this might not play out as easily in Punjab, considering it has had an Acting DGP, Gaurav Yadav, for the past 11 months.