Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s Winter Session was indeed short but not sweet as the Opposition parties took enough aims at the ruling Congress for running away from the debate on its mis-governance. Main Opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), SAD and BJP targeted the State Government on a slew of issues including farmers, potato growers, pollution in rivers, post-matric scholarship, and above all on holding the “shortest session ever”.
The elevation of senior Congress leader Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister also led to fiery war of words between the SAD and Congress MLAs forcing the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to intervene. Capt Amarinder lashed out at the SAD MLAs for politicising the issue while asking them to let the law take its own course.
The second and the last day of the winter session witnessed series of protests not only by the opposition legislators, but also by the Congress MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra who also raised the issue of “discrimination against him” over the issue of panchayat polls.
The opposition parties lashed out at the ruling Congress for limiting the session to just one day citing “no business”, and claimed that they have plentiful issues to discuss ranging from potato-sugarcane farmers and to the SC students.
Initially proposed for three days and four sittings, from December 13 to 15, the winter session was cut short to just two days and two sittings including one to pay obituaries. The treasury benches, during the Business Advisory Committee meeting, argued that there was no business that needed to be discussed, and thus the length of the session be curtailed by a day and the sittings reduced to two.
Wearing black arm-bands, AAP MLA protested against the short session and demanded to extend it. Taking up the issue in zero hour, AAP MLA Aman Arora cited the book claiming that the House should have 40 sittings in a year.
As the Speaker Rana KP Singh refused to pay any heed to their demand, Arora tore the papers and threw it on the floor in protest. AAP MLAs, sans the rebel group, stormed into the Well raising slogans against the Congress Government.
Arora also flashed a lock saying that the Assembly be locked in case the session was not held as per the laid down procedure; and staged a walkout on the issue with AAP MLAs.
Also objecting the duration, SAD MLA and former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa questioned the Speaker for rejecting his adjournment motion to discuss farmers’ issue. “The Government is claiming that they do not have any business, and when we are giving business, it is being rejected on flimsy grounds,” he said.
SAD president Sukhbir Badal said that the three-day session was in itself a brief session, which had been further curtailed to two days. “This two-day session will enter the Guinness Book of World records as the shortest session ever in history,” he mocked.
“It is murder of democracy. Will crores of rupees be blown up for convening the session and then winding it up in a day on the plea that there is not enough business...This proves that this is the most incompetent government ever formed in Punjab which does not have any work to take up in the House,” he said.
KAMAL NATH’S ELEVATION ROCKS PUNJAB ASSEMBLY
The protest against the Congress party’s decision to elevate its senior leader Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister was heard in over 1000 kilometres away in Punjab Vidhan Sabha. SAD dubbed the move as rubbing salt into the wounds of 1984 riot victims.
The issue was raised by SAD MLA Bikram Majithia, to which the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra retorted that MP CM designate was not named in a single FIR.
Mohindra pointed that Nath was elected eight-times as MP after 1984 riots, and thrice served as Union Minister, but never ever this issue was raised by SAD.
Showing pictures in his mobile phone purportedly of former Chief Minister and SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal felicitating Kamal Nath and Parminder Dhindsa, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh alleged that the opposition was politicising the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The Chief Minister said that a mere reference in the Nanavati Commission report could not be construed as Nath's involvement in the case.
“Let us leave it to the law. If somebody is guilty, he's guilty. If he is not guilty, he is not guilty," he said.
Congress and SAD MLAs engaged in a verbal duel on the issue, with SAD legislators raising slogans against the Congress Government and later staging a walkout.
On SAD president Sukhbir Badal's allegation that cases pertaining to the 1984 riots were "suppressed" over the years, Mohindra said: “The country has seen five non-Congress Prime Ministers, they were your (SAD) allies...If you felt so, why did you not raise it then."
CAPT ASSURES OF EARLY RESOLUTION OF POTATO PRICE FLUCTUATION ISSUE
Showing deep concern over the falling prices of potato crop, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder assured the House to address the issue on priority while expressing his Government’s complete solidarity with the distressed potato growers.
The issue was raised by SAD MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala by moving a calling attention motion. Intervening, Capt Amarinder said that the Government had already raised with the Centre a demand to allow export of potatoes and sugar to Russia, UAE, Iran and Sri Lanka for fetching better prices of these crops.
“The Government has sought the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal intervention to direct the Ministry of Commerce and Industries to allow Punjab to export these crops to ensure price stabilisation, as both potato and sugarcane crops were afflicted by wide price fluctuations,” he said.
“Once the Centre gives clearance to the State Government for export of these crops, the farmers would be immensely benefitted in terms of lucrative returns and assured marketability of their produce,” he added.
To bail out the potato growers from the current crisis of low price, the Chief Minister also assured that all possible steps would be initiated to enhance the consumption of potatoes especially in the mid-day meal, jails and other government departments, so as to stabilise the prices of the crop.
BAINS OPPOSES PROPOSED SALARY HIKE FOR MLAS
Lok Insaaf Party leader Balwinder Singh Bains on Friday staged a protest outside Vidhan Sabha over the proposed hike in the salary of Punjab legislators.
The proposal was put up before a committee meeting before the commencement of the Vidhan Sabha session. Participating in the meeting, Bains staged a walkout in the protest.
“How is it that the government is increasing the salaries of the MLAs when they don’t have the money to pay their employees,” asked Bains.
Also criticising the government over the salary hike and dubbing it as “stupid move”, SAD president Sukhbir Badal said that they were against it.
SAD MLA and former minister Bikram Majithia said that the Government should look into farmers’ distress and employment to youth issues, rather than deciding to hike the MLAs pay.