Months after floating a new outfit, Awaaz-e-Punjab, along with the former parliamentarian Navjot Singh Sidhu, three MlAs — Pargat Singh, Balwinder Singh Bains and Simarjeet Singh Bains (known as Bains brothers) — put in their papers on Wednesday as members of Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
Sidhu’s MlA wife, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, also announced to send her resignation to the Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal via e-mail as she was not well. They resigned protesting the Badal Government’s “failure” to protect the State’s rights over river waters.
Bains brothers, after actively participating in debate over the Satluj-Yamuna link (SYl) canal in the special convened assembly session, announced their resignation “over duplicitous people who betrayed Punjab, for its water, the harm the state suffered due to their two-faced personality”.
Ending his speech on the resolution moved by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Simarjeet announced his resignation and entered the well of the House along with his brother to hand over their resignation to the Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal.
As the Speaker refused to accept the resignations saying that they should tender it in his office, the two hurled their resignations towards the Speaker and walked out after heated exchange of words with the treasury benches, specifically SAD MlAs Bikram Singh Majithia and Virsa Singh Valtoha.
Valtoha had accused them of demanding the post of CPS from the Akalis.
Bains brothers were later joined by Pargat Singh and their supporters, and staged a dharna outside the House. They claimed that the resolution had been “stolen” from a private Bill they had proposed in the previous session of the House to recover costs of using the river from Rajasthan.
Olympian Pargat Singh maintained that he had resigned “as the Badals have failed miserably to protect Punjab’s rights over river waters”. He added that though Dr Navjot Kaur is indisposed, she has sent her resignation “directly” to the Assembly Speaker.
Pargat Singh, elected MlA from Jalandhar Cantonment on SAD ticket, had resigned from the SAD in the previous monsoon session, while Dr Navjot Kaur, elected BJP MlA from Amritsar East, left the saffron party in October.
Rebel SAD leaders — Simarjit and his brother Balwinder — were elected as Independent from ludhiana’s Atam Nagar and ludhiana South constituencies.
Simarjeet, at the same time, maintained that there was “no question of going with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) if the party do not stand in favour of Punjab on the SYl issue…Kejriwal should clear his stand on the issue that the AAP is against the SC verdict”.
He alleged that the Supreme Court verdict came against Punjab because the state government had not represented the case in a good manner. He said that the state government was rather seeking the verdict against Punjab.
He termed the resignation by the Congress legislatures, including party chief Capt Amarinder Singh, a mere drama to befool the people.