PNS/
 
Opposition on Thursday pushed the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the back foot over the issue of its Cabinet Minister Fauja Singh Sarari’s alleged extortion audio clip on the second day of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s ongoing session.
 
The session on Thursday started on a stormy note with the Congress MLAs, led by the Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, staging a strong protest demanding the dismissal and arrest of Minister Sarari right at the onset of the House proceedings.
 
Arriving in the House wearing aprons with Sarari’s picture and written slogans demanding action against the Minister photos of Sarari, Bajwa raised the issue in the Zero Hour and demanded an action against the Minister over the issue of an audio clip in which he was purportedly discussing ways to trap some contractors to “extort” money.
 
“A case should also be registered against the Minister just the way the Chief Minister acted against Vijay Singla on the basis of some audio clip, he should also be sent there,” said Bajwa while also seeking investigation of the purported audio clip through the Central Government’s forensic lab.
 
He said that a different yardstick is now being adopted in connection with another Minister, in whose case too an audio clip has surfaced.
 
After Bajwa, Congress’s Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira sought the Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan’s permission to speak on the same issue, which he denied pointing that the leader of Opposition has raised the said issue.
 
As the Congress legislators continued sought a reply by the State Government or the Chief Minister’s statement on the issue, the Speaker asked them to wait till the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann arrives in the House.
 
Unhappy, the Congress MLAs trooped inside the well of the House, raising slogans against the AAP Government at the time when the Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema speaking.
 
Cheema pointed that though any MLA can raise any issue during the Zero Hour, but they can only make their point and cannot force the government to reply.
 
As the Congress MLAs continued to disrupt Cheema’s statement, the Minister asked the Speaker to conduct a special class for the legislators of Congress party.
 
Cheema also pointed out that the opposition parties had all along been demanding Zero Hour but now they were not allowing the House to function as they do not have any issue against the government and related to Punjab that’s why they are doing all this. AAP legislators also raised slogans against the Congress, calling it “the B-team of the BJP”.
 
Speaker also appealed to Punjab Congress president and MLA Warring to maintain calm. Despite repeated requests by the Speaker, the Congress MLAs continued to protest in the well forcing an adjournment for half an hour.
 
As the House proceedings resumed, Congress members continued their protest.
 
Speaker Sandhwan asked the Congress MLAs that they owe it to the public to let the House function properly. Not paying any heed, they rushed to the well of the House and started sloganeering. Even as the AAP MLAs also started exchanging heated words with protesting MLAs, Minister Sarari was sitting quietly in the House. Besides, all the three SAD MLAs and one BSP MLA were also sitting quietly, as both BJP MLAs decided to boycott the House.
 
Cheema pointed out that none of the 18 Congress MLAs have not listed a single question to be asked in the Vidhan Sabha, while the ruling AAP MLAs put up all 47 questions. “But the Congress MLAs are now indulging in this drama inside the House,” he said.
 
Cheema dared the Leader of Opposition to discuss the issues like stubble burning and others in the House. “Congress is worst affected by the Operation Lotus, and despite that, instead of speaking against Operation Lotus, it is speaking against an honest government,” said Cheema, accusing the Congress of supporting the BJP which is indulging in horse-trading.
 
A day before, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had assured that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is scrutinizing the audio clip.
 
Earlier, Sarari has also categorically denied the allegations and questioned the authenticity of audio clip.