Main opposition party, Congress, on Wednesday claimed that their right picture was not projected, virtually, during the ongoing budget session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Objecting to the “manner” in which “live” proceedings of the House are being broadcasted, the Congress legislators claimed that “close-ups” of the ruling party members were shown while the opposition members were shown from a distance.

Claiming that they have been deliberately kept “out of focus”, the Congress party demanded that a special broadcasting channel should be started under an “autonomous body” for telecasting the House proceedings in a fair manner. The party also suggested to constitute a panel — consisting of MLAs from both the ruling party and the opposition — for managing the live telecast and to ensure that all MLAs are fairly covered during the sittings of the House.

Congress’ MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira took to Twitter in the morning to allege that the live proceedings of the ongoing Punjab Vidhan Sabha session are being shown “in unfair and partisan manner”.

Khaira alleged that the coverage was edited. “Friends, I want to disclose that the so-called “Live” coverage of Vidhan Sabha is edited and partisan! If you see the frame of Speaker @Sandhwan & @BhagwantMann etc is zoomed very close while when opposition MLAs speak, you can’t see them but can only judge by their voice,” he tweeted.

Sharing the screenshots of live proceedings with picture of Congress and AAP MLAs, he tweeted, “These are the screenshots of so called “Live” coverage of Vidhan Sabha proceedings by @BhagwantMann govt in which you can clearly see the partisan and unfair coverage between ruling party MLAs and opposition MLAs.”

Senior Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa, who also raised the same issue a day before in the House, on Wednesday written a letter to the Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan seeking directions to the officers in-charge of the Live Broadcast to ensure “equal coverage for all MLAs speaking”.

“I also recommend that the creation of a Vidhan Sabha Broadcast Channel, similar to Sansad TV, that covers the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings or creating a Committee for managing the same consisting of MLAs from both the ruling party and the opposition would ensure all MLA's are fairly covered during the sittings of the House,” he said in the letter.

Bajwa said that it has come to his notice that the camera when an Opposition MLA is speaking is “unfocused” and usually does not show the entirety of the Opposition MLA’s speech. “This anomaly makes it difficult for the general public to listen to what an Opposition MLA is speaking in the Vidhan Sabha,” he said.

“In comparison, when the Speaker, Chief Minister, Ministers, and all AAP MLAs are speaking, the camera is focused and the entirety of the audio is picked up as well as the camera zooming into the AAP speaker to make it clear who is speaking,” he said.

He said that this kind of “unfair representation of Opposition MLAs in the House is uncalled for and extremely undemocratic”.

“I support the need for broadcasting the proceedings of the Vidhan Sabha, but I believe it must be done fairly and equally for all MLAs. We are all elected members of the Vidhan Sabha and represent the people of Punjab. By attempting to cleverly not show the full speech of an Opposition MIA in the same format as an AAP MLA, the Opposition MLAs are being discriminated against,” he said.

Speaker Sandhwan, when Bajwa had raised the issue in the House that he has been informed that focus of camera is not correct on the opposition members, assured that he would look into the matter.

AAP MLA took on Govt for “VVIP status” to Bishnoi

Punjab IPS-turned-politician and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Amritsar North Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh on Wednesday questioned his own party’s government for giving “VVIP status” to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi — the “prime accused” in Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s killing.

Raising the “serious” issue during the Zero Hour, Kunwar Vijay lashed out at Amritsar police for “glamorizing” Bishnoi’s remand and treating it as a “VVIP” duty. At the same time, he asked his own party’s Government to issue strict directions to the Amritsar police to stop glamorizing Bishnoi’s remand as it would promote gangster culture while creating a feeling of insecurity among the people.

“I would like to raise a serious issue. One gangster has been taken on remand by the Amritsar Police...He is Lawrence Bishnoi and everyone is aware of that...But his remand is being glamorized in such a way by Punjab police...that the policemen on duty have been projected as if they are on VVIP duty...They were also given stickers...A gangster is being given a VVIP status...and all this is being glamorized so much that it would promote gangster culture. The peace-loving common people are feeling insecure and terrorized. All this should be stopped. I appeal to the Government to direct Amritsar Police to stop glamorizing this eight-day remand,” he said.

Punjab police’s former IGP’s statement came a day after AAP and Congress members sparred over alleged VVIP treatment given to UP-based gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari during his stay in Ropar jail under the Congress government’s regime.