Pandemonium prevailed in the last minutes of Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s special one-day session on Friday when the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Bikramjit Singh Majithia demanding voting on the Government’s resolution to adjourn the House sine die, claiming that many Congress legislators too have been demanding longer session.
Notably, the SAD and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have all along been demanding extension of the session, maintaining that there was an urgent need to discuss scores of issues, while accusing the ruling Congress party of running away from the same. Moreover, there are several Congress MLAs who have also supported the demand for a longer session.
The Government has convened the one-day special session to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of Sikhs’ ninth master Guru Tegh Bahadur. Even as the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had already made it clear that the regular session would be held in few days, the opposition parties were pressing for extending the session considering the severe infighting faced by the Congress party.
In fact, the Opposition parties were also planning to move the no-confidence motion against Capt Amarinder, as several Congress MLAs, including four Cabinet Ministers, have raised a banner of revolt against their own Chief Minister demanding his replacement with elections just about few months away.
There were speculations that AAP may move the no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister as it had, a day before, issued a whip to all its 16 MLAs to be present in the Friday’s Vidhan Sabha session. However, neither the SAD not the AAP submitted any such motion to the Speaker.
In a 117-member House, Congress enjoys a comfortable majority of 80 MLAs in the 117-seat Assembly.
Ahead the start of the session, Capt Amarinder held a meeting with his close MLAs. Sources maintained that the Chief Minister’s meeting was not attended by the Congress State chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and his supporters.
As the moption to adjourn the House sine die was to be moved, Majithia demanded that the Chief Minister should prove his majority in the House. Majithia Said that since there was a division in the Congress, the Chief Minister should face a no confidence motion.
However, the request was not entertained by the Speaker Rana KP Singh and the House was adjourned sine die.
DISSENTERS MAINTAIN A DISTANCE
Fissures in the Congress’ top leadership were apparent even inside the Vidhan Sabha during the one-day special session as several legislators, owing allegiance to Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, were seen sitting on the back benches or maintaining distance from the Chief Minister.
Even the four rebel Ministers — Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, and Charanjit Singh Channi — were sitting at a distance from the Chief Minister, though in all the previous sessions, their seats were near the Chief Minister’s.
SIDHU CAMP MEETS AT PARGAT’S HOUSE
Soon after the special session was adjourned, the leaders of the Sidhu camp met for a closed door meeting at Punjab Congress general secretary (organisation) and MLA Pargat Singh’s
residence.
Sidhu, along with three working presidents, besides other legislators held a meeting, the agenda of which was not known. However, the timing and venue of the meeting has raised speculations over what actually transpired in the meeting.
One of the four Punjab Congress’ working presidents Sukhwinder Singh Danny maintained that there was a need to ensure coordination between the party and the Government for which we have met here. “Rawat ji has told us, and efforts are on to ensure that...If things are not well in the party as of now, it will be in the coming days,” he added.