The impasse in the Punjab Assembly continued with last-ditch efforts of negotiations between the Treasury benches and the Opposition proving futile on Monday.
Despite Chief Minister’s appeal, closed-doors meetings, Speaker’s rapprochement attempts, the deadlock remained.
Turning down all attempts of reconciliation by the Speaker and the ruling coalition’s request of participating in the House proceedings, but with a rider of apologising to the House, the Congress stuck to its stand of boycotting the Assembly.
Deciding to continue with parallel Assembly, Congress has also made it clear that it will not tender an apology. “I had taken the entire responsibility of bringing that Tarn Taran victim inside the assembly…I have regretted and called it most unfortunate about what happened inside the House…What else they want us to do,” leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Jakhar told The Pioneer.
“The Government did not come up with anything new today…there is no breakthrough…everything stands where it was. They are adamant …They don’t want us to raise the issue,” said Jakhar adding, “I have said all what I wanted to say that day inside the House. And that’s my stand.” “This Government, with little brain and little intellect, believes in feudal system that is present in villages. They want us to kneel before them to do away with the cases registered against us,” said Jakhar, while making it clear that it is the Government that should apologise for sending Punjab police personnel to our office.
Even as the Congress ruled out any apology, it decided to apologise to the watch and ward staff — roughed up during the Wednesday incident.
“We have decided to apologize to the watch and ward staff…he was a Government employee performing his duty. We have decided to invite him for tea in the next few days as a gesture,” said Jakhar.
GOVT’S ATTEMPT TO RECONCIlE
Soon after the question hour finished in around 15 minutes in the absence of the Opposition, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal requested Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal to hold a dialogue with the Opposition to resolve the stand-off.
Badal appealed to the Opposition to join the proceedings of the House for the interest of the State, but only after apologising for their unruly behaviour. Making it clear that “apology is must”, Badal said: “I would have apologized right away if I would have been at fault. If they want, I would bring them inside the House holding their hand. But an example needs to be set to ensure that similar thing won’t happen in future ever.”
The ruling benches even offered to accept the apology from suspended MlAs only from the Speaker, but the issue could not be clinched at least for Monday.
PARAllEl ASSEMBlY SESSION AGAINST RUlES: SPEAKER
At the onset, Punjab Vidhan Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal made a statement quoting from the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, declaring that conducting parallel Assembly session was “against rules”.
Atwal also ruled that the entire Vidhan Sabha Bhawan will be treated as Punjab Vidhan Sabha Complex including the chambers, lobby area, the lawns, galleries, members’ lounge and other places as the Speaker may declare as Vidhan Sabha’s territory. He also asserted that no member of the House can stage hunger strike, dharna or conduct parallel Assembly in the Vidhan Sabha complex. Referring to rules, Atwal said that it was the foremost duty of the Speaker to maintain peace and order inside the House.
PUNJAB CONGRESS STAGES ‘PARAllEl' SESSION OUTSIDE VIDHAN SABHA
Sticking to its stand of boycotting the Assembly session, Punjab Congress continued with its decision to stage the “parallel” mock assembly, but this time in the Vidhan Sabha’s parking area.
The decision to stage the mock Assembly was taken at a meeting of the Congress legislative Party (ClP) after the leader of the Opposition Sunil Jakhar was informed by the officials from Punjab Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal's office that the staging of a ‘parallel’ Assembly was against the rules and procedures laid down for conduct of the Vidhan Sabha. During their session, the Congress legislators including Jakhar, former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, among others, debated on the Governor's address, with Jagmohan Singh Kang as its Speaker.
MOTION MOVED AGAINST CONGRESS FOR RUNNING ‘PARAllEl’ ASSEMBlY
Parliamentary Affairs minister Madan Mohan Mittal moved a resolution against the Congress MlAs for “intentionally” running the parallel Assembly within the Assembly with malafide purposes which is “undemocratic”, “most condemnable”, “against rules”, and “challenging Speaker’s authority”. The Motion moved could not be taken up for voting as the Speaker Atwal proposes to give a chance to the Opposition to join the proceedings, and discontinue with the conducting a parallel Assembly.
Motion of thanks to Governor for address adopted Punjab Vidhan Sabha adopted motion of thanks to Governor Shivraj Patil for his address to the House on March 11 by a voice vote.
The motion was tabled by SAD leader Dr Daljeet Singh S Cheema and seconded by BJP leader and former minister Manoranjan Kalia.