Shiromani Akali Dal and Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday criticised Punjab Congress MlAs’ “deliberate” attempt to delay their meeting with the Vidhan Sabha Speaker to personally confirm their resignations from the House on the controversial SYl issue.
While the SAD termed Congress legislatures’ “repeated refusal” to appear before the Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal being done on the instructions of the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, AAP dubbed it as “mere drama”.
SAD spokesperson Manjinder Singh Sirsa said: “It has become clear that Punjab Congress legislators as have bowed to the diktat of Sonia and on her directions are not pressing for their resignations…She has clearly instructed the party men in Punjab not to create hue and cry over the river waters or SYl as that would adversely affect party’s prospects in neighbouring States and she won’t like her party candidates to keep quite on the contentious issue.”
Speculations that Congress legislators were deferring their meeting with Speaker as they do not want to lose their perks are “absurd and erroneous” as these perks are just peanuts for the rich legislators.
AAP’s Punjab legal Cell in-charge party Candidate from Majitha Himmat Singh Shergill quipped why so far, Congress MlAs failed to appear before Speaker twice, knowing it very well it is mandatory for them.
Shergill said that their act has exposed them and their stand on SYl issue.
“Earlier, PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh enacted such drama on his resignation from lok Sabha by sending resignation letter to Speaker, knowing it very well that as per the rule, resignation letter should be a one liner only. Ultimately, he had to resign under pressure from opposition parties, which exposed him on this drama,” he added.