Targeting its own leaders on internal issues, Punjab Congress lost the chance of taking on the ruling combine on the last day of the Punjab Assembly Session. Too busy raising accusing fingers against their own veterans, the party could not even corner the Government on sensitive issues including farmers’ suicide, inflation.
The first two days saw the Congress party train blazing guns at the SAD-BJP Government. But, on Thursday, the “foes” within apparently dampened the gun powder and the spirits.
Things went out of Congress’ hand after the Congress MlA Ashwani Sekhri virtually fell into a trap laid down by Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia led ruling benches through their ‘words of concern’.
Batala MlA Sekhri was incited to such an extent that he ended up naming two of his party colleagues, Ramanjit Singh Sikki and Sangat Singh Gilzian, from whom he was “feeling threatened” and reportedly demanded “security” inside the Vidhan Sabha — leaving the Congress benches red-faced.
Taking note of the same, Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal referred the matter to the privilege committee of the House. However, Sekhri, later on, maintained that the entire issue has been resolved with the interference of the senior leaders.
It is for the first time in the recallable past that any MlA has complained against a party colleague on the floor of the House. The entire issue has been taken “on record” by the Speaker.
The incident pushed the Congress camp on the back-foot, which was so far dominating upon the session by taking on the ruling Government on one issue after another, including farming crisis, blue cards, scholarships to SC students, subsidies on sugar and kerosene oil, among others.
Raking up the issue during the zero hour, Majithia embarrassed the Congress leaders by drawing the House’s attention about the security concerns raised by Sekhri. “A senior congress MlA has apprehended threat…I am worried that an elected representative of this House is feeling insecure in the Assembly. It is a serious matter,” Majithia said.
Majithia, with a straight face, told Sekhri, “I am concerned about you as you also hail from Majha (area). I’m worried about my Majha brother…May be that’s why he came wearing a bullet proof jacket today…They have threatened the entire democratic system,” said Majithia while urging the Speaker to do something about it.
While Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madam Mohan Mittal urged the Speaker to take serious cognisance of the matter, Majithia asked him to take suo motu notice of the issue.
Speaker Atwal maintained that till the concerned MlA did not give any names, he would not take any action.
Intervening, the leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Jakhar asserted that the party will itself resolve the matter, asking the treasury benches to focus on other issues concerning the state, including farmers’ crisis.
“It was the same MlA who indulged in abusing behaviour in this House who is now demanding to act in our party issue. What Speaker had done then,” said Jakhar.
Notwithstanding Jakhar’s intervention and pleas by the Congress members including lal Singh, asking Sekhri to keep quiet, the Batala MlA was “provoked” by the treasury benches and ended up naming Sikki and Gilzian. Following this, there was complete disarray among the Congress members.
Speaker told the House that Sekhri called him the previous night and told him that he will give a written complaint on the issue to him. “Now, the MlA has given names of other legislators who threatened him inside the House...the matter will be referred to the privilege committee of the House,” he added.
it SHOUlD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED, says JAKHAR
Unhappy with the show of conflict within the Congress party inside the House, Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Sunil Jakhar said that this all should have been avoided.
“It was an in-house issue...We have been able to resolve it and it has become a non-issue now. All I want to say that this should have been avoided,” Jakhar said while refusing to comment any further on the issue.
SEKHRI THANKS MAJITHIA, AKAlIS FOR SUPPORTING HIM
Even as Sekhri withdrew his allegations against the fellow Congress MlAs succumbing to the party pressure, he thanked the Cabinet Minister Bikram Majithia and other members of the ruling combine for “supporting” him in the matter.
However, Sekhri maintained that the issue has been resolved with the intervention of the senior leader including former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Jakhar, and lal Singh.
THE MATTER
In the wake of reports that former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh may float his own party and some of the party MlAs would break away from the Congress to join him, Sekhri circulated a resolution, saying that all MlAs are with the party chief Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, among his colleagues and asked them to sign the same.
Sekhri was to bring this resolution in the ClP meeting to send the same to the party high command. Some 28 MlAs have signed the resolution.
But on the pretext of cutting their names from the resolution, it was torn by some of the party MlAs, allegedly by Gilzian, who also reportedly threatened Sekhri.