All for promotion and prioritizing Punjabi language, Punjab lawmakers on Monday want Punjabi to be made a compulsory subject in State’s all Government, private, and even convent schools till Class X. The legislators, cutting across party lines, resolved to make efforts to implement Punjabi language in capital city Chandigarh.
Besides, the Vidhan Sabha also resolved to recommend the State Government to ensure that all official work in Government’s offices and even courts is done in Punjabi language.
The resolution, unanimously passed by the House, was moved by the state Technical Education and Tourism Minister Charanjit Singh Channi urging that all Punjab Government institutions should be made mandatory to work in Punjabi language and the functioning of the courts should also be ensured in Punjabi.
The state government was also recommended to enact necessary law along with the proper arrangements to check the activities or steps to be taken against the promotion of Punjabi language by an individual or undertaking.
“A Commission should be set up by the government to act against those officers or any employee who hesitate and do not work in Punjabi ,” said Channi while insisting that Punjabi should be implemented as second language in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh — which are carved out of Punjab.
He also demanded translation of all proceedings and rules of the Vidhan Sabha in Punjabi. “Technical Education Department has taken a lead to provide syllabus of all technical education courses in Punjabi. I appeal Higher Education and Medical Education Minister to provide syllabus books in Punjabi,” he added.
The resolution also welcomed every step taken by the State Government to promote the mother tongue Punjabi, and applauded the government notification to give Punjabi the first place on signboards. “This should be made mandatory for all the private institutions also,” he said while expressing concern over the fact that children speaking in Punjabi are being punished in state schools and other languages are being given priority, which should be dealt strictly.
Supporting the resolution, SAD legislative wing leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon said that Punjabi should be implemented in all private and convent schools also, and not only in government schools.
Lok Insaaf Party MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains demanded that the question papers of exams held by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), should also be provided in Punjabi.
Demanding judicial work in all Punjab’s courts, including district and high court, in Punjabi also, he demanded that the resolution thus passed must be “strictly implemented”.
Asking the members to start from the House, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan urged all the members to start signing in Punjabi. “We will boycott the Governor Address next year if it was not delivered in Punjabi,” he said.
Sandhwan also sought to immediately fill 800 posts of Punjabi translators in the High Court, providing of adequate funds to the Languages Department and the Punjab Art Council, saying that the Punjabi should be kept atop in all government and non-government boards and departments.
AAP MLA and the Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema demanded that a tribunal may be set up so that those violating the law on the Punjabi language could be punished when found flouting.
Cheema proposed that instructions should be given to all district and also the High Court in the State to carry all work in Punjabi language. He also demanded a grant of Rs five crore to the cash-starved Central Library, Patiala, and filling of all vacant posts in the Languages Department.
AAP STAGES WALKOUT
Raising the issue of Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu's alleged derogatory remarks against the Balmiki community, the AAP staged a walkout to register its protest.
During the zero hour, the Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema raised the issue over the viral video involving Ashu passing derogatory remarks against the community, demanding stern action against him.
Cheema, who also sought Speaker’s permission to play the audio, said that the incident had exposed the anti-Dalit face of the controversial Minister Ashu.
“Why the Chief Minisyter is repeatedly protecting the Minister, whose name was first surfaced in multi-crore Ludhiana CLU scam, brow-beating a DSP rank officer, the Gur Mandi bomb blast and now passing nasty comment against the Valmiki community, with no action in sight by the government in the saddle,” said Cheema.
At the same time, Cheema also called upon MLAs from all political parties to cut across party lines and support AAP move to initiate action against Ashu.
As Congress MLAs — Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Khushaldeep Singh Dhillon — questioned Cheema, AAP MLAs entered into war of words.
AAP MLAs entered the well of the House, and staged a walkout after a brief protest.
Ashu clarified that all the allegations against him are “baseless”, and was misinterpreted.
WHY TRANSPORT POLICY NOT BEING IMPLEMENTED: CONG MLA
Highlighting the huge difference in the prices of Punbus Volvo and Indo Canadian buses, Congress MLA Kulbir Singh Zira asked why the transport policy has not been implemented so far.
“Punbus charges Rs 1200 for journey from Delhi to Rajpura, and Rs 280 upto Karnal, while the Indo Canadian bus charges Rs 2600 whether one has to travel up to Rajpura or Karnal,” said Zira asserting that this loot could have been stopped if the transport policy is implemented.
“The A-G (Advocate General) Atul Nanda should be asked why there is delay…is there any stay on the policy by any court…why the transport policy is put on the back burner,” he asked during the zero hour.
NEW RULES ON DEFECTION TABLED IN HOUSE
The Punjab Legislative Assembly (Disqualification of Members on Ground of Defection) Rules, 2020, empowering the parties to petition to the Speaker seeking dismissal in case of any defection, were tabled in the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra urged the Speaker Rana KP Singh to let the members go through the Rules, before they are discussed and enacted.
As per the rules, the leader of each legislative party shall furnish details of names of all the members of legislative party, a copy of rules and regulations, within 30 days in the first sitting of the House, or within 30 days of formation of party. In case of any defection, the parties can petition to the Speaker seeking dismissal
AAP’s RESOLUTION CONDEMNING DELHI VIOLENCE NOT ALLOWED
The repeated pleas of the AAP MLAs and the Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema to move a resolution condemning violence in Delhi was rejected by the Deputy Speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti, who was sitting in the Speaker’s chair.
Just before the commencement of general discussion on budget, Cheema wanted to kove the resolution, but Bhatti rejected the same pointing that it should have been moved 15 days prior to the session.