The Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday wrote a pointed letter to the Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan expressing his deep concern over the non-prorogation of the House — “a practice that has been undermining the fundamental rights of the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and the Vidhan Sabha's authority over the Executive”.
Bajwa, in his letter, stressed the critical need to address the matter urgently to preserve the sanctity and dignity of the esteemed Vidhan Sabha. He references his prior efforts to raise concerns about the consistent non-prorogation of the House, which has restricted MLAs’ ability to seek information on public interest issues and has weakened the Legislature’s supremacy over the Executive.
This has deprived the members of the tools they need to raise vital issues affecting their constituencies during Zero Hour, Call Attention Notices, and through Adjournment Motions, he said.
Bajwa acknowledged the Speaker’s previous response to his letter from November 30, 2022, wherein the Speaker issued instructions in December 2022 to accept questions for the upcoming session without requiring prorogation. He commended this initiative but contended that it should have been consistently maintained for all subsequent sessions to uphold the House’s integrity and decorum.
In the recently-concluded session, Bajwa questioned the listing of old questions since members couldn’t submit new ones due to non-prorogation and the abrupt commencement of the session. He expressed disappointment that even the Chief Minister had referred to the re-summoning of the ninth sitting of the House on November 26, 2019, as a precedent, suggesting that there was no need for prorogation.
Bajwa emphasized that the re-summoning of the House was a unique occurrence, linked to the commemoration of Constitution Day’s 70th year, and specifically authorized by the Government of India in November 2019, during a period when the Chief Minister was abroad. It was, therefore, an exceptional situation and not a justification for the continued practice of failing to prorogue the House after a sine-die adjournment.
To support his arguments, Bajwa has included copies of relevant communications detailing the circumstances surrounding the re-summoning of the House during the preceding Congress rule, aiming to highlight the unusual nature of the event.
He also lamented the recent sine die adjournment of the House, citing it as an act that seemed to overrule the Chair’s decision on the proceedings’ legality. To further strengthen his case, Bajwa provided documents illustrating precedents in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, where both Houses were typically prorogued within two to four days, sometimes even on the same day as sine die adjournment.
Bajwa called upon the Speaker to use his influence to encourage the Government to abandon the unhealthy practice of keeping the House adjourned sine die without prorogation. He asserted that this step is vital to uphold the dignity and sanctity of the Vidhan Sabha and, most importantly, to protect the Members’ rights to expeditiously address their constituents’ concerns through the House for immediate resolution by the Executive.
Concluding, Bajwa expressed hope that the Speaker will take this matter seriously and work toward a resolution that benefits the collective interest of the Vidhan Sabha and its Members.
