Attacked by the Opposition for avoiding discussions by keeping the session short, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday turned the tables on both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the SAD-BJP for “wasting people’s money”.
He accused the two opposition parties for using Vidhan Sabha as a platform to iron out their “personal differences” instead of discussing issues afflicting the state.
“One sitting costs Rs 70 lakh which includes Rs 50,000 per MlA besides expenditure on security, electricity and other things. They are wasting people’s money,” said Capt Amarinder after the House was adjourned for half-an-hour following acrimonious scene created by the opposition legislators.
Just as the House proceedings started on the second day of the three-day winter session, AAP MlAs, carrying placards, banners having photographs of SAD MlA Bikram Majithia with a drug case accused Bittu Aulakh, demanded a CBI inquiry into the attempts made to “influence the judiciary to procure an adverse order” against the leader of Opposition Sukhpal Khiara.
Raising slogans, the MlAs trooped inside the Well of the House not letting the Speaker Rana KP Singh to begin the question hour.
Soon, the SAD-BJP MlAs, with slips having anti-Congress and anti-government slogans pinning on their shirts, too raised the demand of discussion on farm debt waiver issue. The SD-BJP MlAs too descended to the Well raising slogans.
With both opposition factions protesting in the Well of the house, they started exchanging barbs with each other — a sight every ruling party wanted to witness. Much to the amusement of Capt Amarinder and his Co, the SAD-BJP and AAP MlAs raised slogans against one another.
Both the parties had vociferously demanded to extend the session, claiming that they have numerous issues concerning people of the state to be raised in the House. They even went on to target the ruling Congress for deliberately keeping the session short to run away from answering opposition’s query on its “failure” to fulfil even single poll promise.
The same was true, at least to some extent, as the Congress, which was claiming to eliminate drug menace within a month, waiving of entire farm loan, among other things, after coming to power, has failed to realize any of its pre-poll promises after over eight months in office.
Undoubtedly, it has taken a slew of initiatives, but the Congress has nothing concrete to show, as of now. And that has provided enough ammunition to the opposition to take on the government. But, the exposé by AAP’s ally, lok Insaaf Party, MlA Simarjeet Singh Bains, a day before, has altered the tenor of the session.
However, Chief Minister called it unfortunate stating that the opposition was out to gain cheap publicity at the cost of public money by turning the sacrosanct precincts of the Assembly into an ‘akhara’ (battleground).
“Two opposition parties are fighting with each other and the ruling party is watching,” he quipped while lambasting at both the SAD-BJP and AAP for demanding to extend the session. “They were asking for time…they are not using what’s provided,” he criticized.
“It is against parliamentary traditions to disrupt the question hour, during which the members raise serious public issues, and the Opposition should have raised any other concerns during the Zero Hour,” said Capt Amarinder adding that even he could not properly hear what members wanted to ask him.
“There are lot of issues concerning Punjab, like that of farmers’ suicides, soil testing in Mansa where people are facing lot of difficulties…nobody has time for Punjab,” he lashed out at the opposition.
He maintained that the drugs issue was a serious concern for Punjab, “but the Opposition had made a mockery of it by indulging in such gimmickry”.
“Things which need to be fought and caught, should not be raised here. That’s on the law to decide….While the drugs case involving AAP’s Sukhpal Khaira is in the courts, the allegations against SAD’s Majithia were being investigated by multiple government agencies, including ED, Narcotics Bureau and DRI, with Punjab police giving full assistance,” said Capt Amarinder while denying having ever giving a clean chit to Majithia in drug charges.
“There is no question of giving a clean chit to anyone but the law will take its own course in both instances, with no government interference,” he said.