The opposition parties on Monday called Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria’s address “a bundle of lies” and “far from the ground reality” as they took on the AAP regime over corruption, the drug menace, ballooning debt and “deteriorating” law and order issues.

Participating in the discussion on the governor’s address during the ongoing Budget Session, the opposition party leaders and treasury benches sparred after the former lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation for allegedly having “failed” in every aspect.

Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa chided the Bhagwant Mann government over the alleged assault of an Army Colonel and his son by 12 Punjab Police officials.

“I closely studied the governor’s address. There is nothing in it,” Bajwa said while taking part in the debate.

Raising the issue of detention of farmers in a Punjab Police crackdown last week, Bajwa said it was the first time that the farmers, who were invited for a meeting to discuss their demands were detained.

“They were evicted (from Shambhu and Khanauri border points). Their temporary settlements were dismantled. As many as 135 trolleys of farmers were missing,” claimed Bajwa, drawing an objection from Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal who said it was the Centre which invited the farmers for talks.

“The Leader of the Opposition is misleading the House. Do not lie,” Dhaliwal asked Bajwa.

To which, Bajwa asked who then detained the farmers.

“Was it not the Punjab Police?” he asked.

Punjab Police had detained several farmers and many farmer leaders on Wednesday last week as they were returning after a meeting with a central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh.

Bajwa also tried to corner the treasury benches over the issue of not keeping the poll promise of giving `1,000 per month.

“A sum of `36,000 is pending towards each woman (for 3 years),” said Bajwa alleging that the AAP took votes of women but did not fulfill its promise.

He slammed the AAP government over the “non-fulfillment” of its promise of wiping out the drug menace and ensuring justice in the 2015 sacrilege incidents.

Calling the Punjab government’s anti-drug drive as “cosmetic exercise”, Bajwa said that action was being taken against only small drug peddlers by demolishing their structures.

He dared the state government to demolish the residence of dismissed police officer Raj Jit Singh.

Raj Jit Singh had been booked in a drug smuggling case and has been dismissed from service. He has not been arrested yet.

Bajwa accused the state government of not giving the benefit of the old pension scheme to the government employees despite issuing a notification in this regard.

He said that AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had promised to generate `20,000 crore annually from sand mining but “failed” to do so.

He took on the AAP government for raising `1.20 lakh crore as debt during its regime.

Raising the issue of deportees from the US, Bajwa asked if the Punjab government took up the issue of “human rights” violation with the Centre over cuffing of illegal Indian immigrants.

“Whether they were criminals or terrorists,” he asked.

“Has any action been taken against travel agents, who duped the deportees,” he asked. He asked the Punjab government whether it has planned any rehabilitation package for the deportees.

Taking part in the discussion, Congress MLA Pargat Singh called the governor’s address “a bundle of lies.”

Speaking on the law and order issue, he alleged that businessmen were getting extortion calls due to which new investments in the industrial sector had declined.

BJP MLA Jangilal Mahajan said the governor’s address was “far from the ground reality”. 

Despite the state government’s tall claims, he said corruption has not been wiped out.

Mahajan said the state government has “failed” to ensure sand at a promised rate of `5 per square feet.

“Till now, no mining policy has yet been framed. Sand mining loot is taking place,” he said.