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Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 27
Upset over the cancellation of the motion of thanks on the Governor’s Address and not scheduling the Question Hour, AAP along with its alliance partner —the Lok Insaaf Party — staged a walkout from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on the second day of the session today.
The election to the Speaker was in progress when Opposition MLAs walked out.
Led by Leader of Opposition HS Phoolka, AAP MLAs raised slogans on the “dictatorial attitude” of the Congress government to suppress the voice of the Opposition.
Phoolka later said the party agreed with the choice of the Congress to propose Rana KP Singh’s name for the post of the Speaker. “We are playing the role of a constructive Opposition by supporting the government on several matters. The government, however, is denying us the opportunity to speak in the House. So, we walked out.”
He said AAP had today sought a discussion on pertinent matters such as the silence of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on a politician’s role in the drugs scandal, a clean chit by the police to Jaswinder Singh Jugnu — a close aide of a Congress minister — in connection with illegal stocking of liquor, arbitrary charging of fees by private schools and snapping of power supply to water pumps in villages.
Phoolka has written to the Speaker, citing Article 176(2) of the Constitution related to the discussion on the Governor’s Address. “The Article mandates that time should be allotted for discussion on the Address by moving the motion of thanks, but the Congress government has denied it,” he said.
The AAP leader questioned why the first schedule of the Vidhan Sabha mentioned the discussion and motion of thanks, and withdrawn later? “The Congress government had, in its first session in 2002, flouted the rules by denying discussion to the Opposition. Then, the Akalis had not raised the point. But we are not their friends,” Phoolka added.
AAP chief whip Sukhpal Khaira took on SAD-BJP MLAs, saying their pre-poll friendship with the Congress continued as the Akalis did not object to the denial of discussion in the House.
Lok Insaaf Party MLAs Balwinder Bains and Simarjit Singh Bains said the government was running away from discussion as it had no answer to the way it awarded Cabinet rank to advisers, among other matters.
3 MLAs seek call attention motion
Three AAP MLAs have submitted applications to Speaker Rana KP Singh for call attention motion to be taken on March 29, the last day of the session.
AAP women’s wing head Baljinder Kaur has sought discussion on “exorbitant fees” charged by private schools. Sunam MLA Aman Arora wants attention of the House on the scarcity of water in villages after the government disconnected power supply to water pumps.
Bathinda Rural MLA Rupinder Kaur Ruby wants discussion on a Congress worker getting a clean chit by the police in connection with illegal stocking of liquor.
It’s regrettable: Capt
Chandigarh: Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday termed as regrettable the decision of AAP to walk out of the Assembly during the election of the Speaker. Addressing the House after the walkout, Capt Amarinder said it was an unfortunate incident. “The main Opposition party should uphold the dignity of the House instead of indulging in cheap dharna politics,” he said. The AAP walkout triggered a wave of reactions from the Treasury benches, with several party leaders following the Chief Minister in castigating AAP for its “disruptive act”. TNS
AAP gets new, bigger office
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accepted a new office in the Assembly. House officials allotted a bigger room as demanded by the party. Leader of Opposition HS Phoolka held a meeting with party MLAs in the new office on Monday. He said the matter of the seating arrangement was still unsolved. The party wants that MLAs of its alliance partners — the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) — be seated with them. On the second day of the session on Monday, the two LIP MLAs sat with AAP MLAs without official approval.
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