Complete mayhem prevailed in Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Thursday as the marshals physically “threw” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators out of the House, not only removing a legislator’s turban, and dupattas of female members, but also leaving at least five of their colleagues injured.
The “turban” issue snowballed into a major controversy soon as the Opposition gave it religious hue. AAP MlA from Bhadaur, Pirmal Singh Dhaula, whose turban was removed when the marshals forced him out of the House, told The Pioneer that he would urge the Akal Takht jathedar (head priest of Sikh’s highest temporal seat) to take notice of “disrespect of Sikhism’s symbol”.
“I will also urge the Akal Takht to make Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh answerable to this as he was sitting there as mute spectator,” added Dhaula, holding his turban in his hand.
It was complete commotion outside the main hall of the Vidhan Sabha with Deputy leader of AAP legislative Party Sarabjeet Kaur Manuke screaming out of pain allegedly because of her “fractured” hand, Nihal Singh Wala MlA Manjit Singh Bilaspur lying almost unconscious on the floor without turban, Bathinda Rural MlA Rupinder Kaur Ruby yelling while struggling to break free from the grips of female marshals, and what not.
Amidst all this, leader of Opposition HS Phoolka and Kharar MlA Kanwar Sandhu were seen trying figure out what is happening, giving water to their MlAs, bytes to the media, at the same time protesting.
Things went out of hand when Speaker Rana Kanwar Pal Singh “named” all the AAP MlAs and lone MlA of its ally, lok Insaaf Party (lIP), Balwinder Bains, who have been protesting from the onset in the well of the House. They have been demanding entry of its two “under suspension” MlAs — AAP’s Sukhpal Khaira and lIP’s Simarjit Bains — inside the Vidhan Sabha premises. Speaker, in the same breath, asked the marshals to evict AAP MlAs out of the House after suspending them for the day for their disruptive behaviour, not only for shouting slogans against the Chair, but also pushing the marshals, when the question hour is in progress.
As the AAP legislators refused to budge, marshals literally pick them up and threw out of the House. The struggling AAP MlAs could not do much against the army of Assembly’s ‘watch and ward staff’.
Soon, SAD-BJP MlAs too walked out of the House in protest of Speaker’s “biased” attitude, except BJP MlA Dinesh Babbu, who also left after taking up his question listed for the day.
Minutes later, SAD president Sukhbir Badal led the SAD-BJP MlAs into the House, and pointed that every MlA has the right to protest.
“It’s not akhara (wrestling arena) that you remove the MlAs’ turbans or female members’ dupattas and molest them…You are acting like a dictator…How can you do that,” said agitated Sukhbir. As the Speaker asked Sukhbir to speak after completion of question hour, SAD-BJP MlAs trooped into the well shouting slogans. During their protest, SAD MlAs Rozi Barkandi, Pawan Kumar Tinu and Bikram Majithia even tried to break cordon.
Speaker Rana KP continued with the day’s proceedings ignoring protests by the SAD-BJP MlAs’ slogans, forcing them to stage a “walk out”.
Soon, Sukhbir led a forced entry of the entire Opposition, including the “suspended” legislators of AAP and lIP. There was complete pandemonium in the House as SAD and AAP MlAs forced their way in by pushing away the marshals, raising slogans against the Speaker, and finally occupied their seats. Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
During adjournment, the treasury and opposition benches exchanged heated words, with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh too leaving the House.
Within minutes, marshals came in to evict the AAP MlAs by picking them, with Akali MlAs intervening claiming that they cannot do that as House is not in session at that time.
SAD MlA Tinu tried to stop marshals from taking away one of the AAP MlA. When female marshals came to take AAP’s female MlAs Rupinder Kaur and Manuke, Sukhbir tried to stop them. In the melee, tables fell down, chairs were pushed. SAD MlA Gurpartap Singh Wadala was seen clicking pictures of female MlAs’ struggle with watch and ward staff inside the House.
As the House resumed, Majithia carrying AAP MlA’s turban questioned the Speaker if the Opposition is here to get their turbans removed. Speaker adjourned the House for another half-an-hour.
The House was adjourned for 15 minutes more after the Speaker “named” all the SAD-BJP MlAs for protesting in the well of the House and throwing papers on the Chair, asking the marshals to evict them too. However, the SAD-BJP legislators left the House on their own. At that time, Chief Minister wanted to make a statement, but Akalis opposed saying that they would not allow the House to function till they were heard.
ACTION OUTSIDE
Outside the Assembly, Dhaula alleged that his turban was removed by the marshals while accusing the Speaker for not paying any heed to them. AAP legislators also alleged that male marshals removed even their female MlAs and Baljinder Kaur, Rupinder Kaur Ruby and Sarabjit Kaur Manuke were being manhandled. “We had just asked the speaker to allow Bains and Khaira to enter the House…but they are ordered to be removed…this is murder of democracy,” said Kharar MlA Kanwar Sandhu.
AAP MlAs exclaimed that Dhaula is Dalit and “this is yet another attack on a Dalit leader after the attack on SAD’s MlA Pawan Kumar Tinu a day before”.
A journalist-turned-politician, Sandhu added that he had never seen such a thing happening in the Vidhan Sabha in his long journalistic career. He said that there was no “notice” pasted on the door to stop them from entering the House, so they forced their way in.
Stretchers were brought in to take Manuke and Bilaspur for first aid in Vidhan Sabha’s dispensary, and later referred to the Sector 16 Government Medical Hospital. Apart from them, dispensary doctors said that Budh Ram received injury on his finger, while Jai Kishan and Amarjeet Sandoa reported of body aches and chest pain.
Phoolka claimed that it was worst than the days of emergency, while Sukhbir said that it was a sad day for democracy. He accused the Speaker of disrespecting Sikhs by tossing turbans of Gursikh MlAs.
KHAIRA-BAINS DHARNA OUTSIDE ASSEMBlY
A day after they charged Speaker Rana KP Singh’s relative of being part of sand mafia, the two under suspension MlAs — Sukhpal Khaira and Simarjit Bains — were disallowed to enter the Vidhan Sabha premises. As Khaira went “live” on Facebook, the duo sat on dharna outside the Assembly. They alleged that Speaker and the Congress Government were preventing them from entering the House after they had raised the issue of sand and land mafias.
Bains was suspended for the remaining Assembly session on June 15 for throwing paper on Speaker, while Khaira was suspended on June 16 for going live from inside the House.
Sukhbir Badal managed their entry inside the building from some other entry, but the two were against evicted. Khaira said that AAP MlA Pirmal ‘s turban was tossed off as they were being removed from the House.
Khaira and Bains raised slogans of ‘Beiman sarkar' and 'mafia speaker murdabad’.