Sensing an opportunity to pin down the Akali-BJP Government in Punjab, Congress legislators on Wednesday virtually laid siege to Punjab legislative Assembly, creating unprecedented pandemonium in the House on the third day of Budget Session.
The uproarious scenes were witnessed after Punjab Police made attempts to flush out the Tarn Taran victim of police atrocities from the Congress legislative Party (ClP) room in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. She was brought to the Assembly by ClP leader Sunil Kumar Jakhar, but was allegedly refused an entry pass by the Vidhan Sabha authorities. Papers, including the one tabled in the House, went up the air, as the Congress legislators literally declared their supremacy over the Assembly, with one of its MlA, Jagmohan Singh Kang, hurling himself up the Speaker’s chair.
Complete pandemonium prevailed in the House for more than half an hour, as the Congress MlAs targeted even the Speaker’s chair with “paper missiles”. This is for the first time in recent memory that the Opposition broke all rules, while the session was adjourned for the day. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy Sukhbir Badal, and the Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal have dubbed the incident to be “most condemnable”, and “unprecedented”.
However, neither the ruling coalition, nor the Speaker has decided to take action against the “erring” Congress MlAs. While Badal has left it on the Speaker to decide, Atwal has maintained that he cannot take action suo motu, and will act if House moved any resolution against the Congress MlAs.
The House was earlier adjourned thrice after Congress did not let it function seeking explanation from the Speaker, or the Chief Minister over the issue of alleged “raid” by the Punjab police cops in the ClP office within the Assembly complex.
Congress alleged that around two dozen Punjab police cops barged into the ClP office trying to forcibly take away Tarn Taran police assault victim and her family. Soon the Congress MlAs, present in the House during the question hour, rushed to their office and caught hold of couple of cops. One of the cops, identified as senior intelligence officer Jaspal Singh from his ID card, now in possession of Congress MlAs, was caught and given a sound thrashing by the Congress legislators.
Jakhar terming the incident of cops entering the ClP office as the “death of democracy” and breach of privilege, sought resignations of the Speaker, Chief Minister and Deputy CM-cum-Home Minister holding them “equally responsible” for it. “There can’t be a bigger crime than this…this is a shameful incident on the part of the Government. Speaker has no right to sit on that chair,” said leader of Opposition Sunil Jakhar.
Chief Minister sought a report from the Chief Secretary. Even Speaker and the Deputy Chief Minister said that they were unaware of the situation in the ClP office. later, Badal quoting the Chief Secretary’s report said that Sunil Jakhar “forcibly brought three girls to the assembly premises who were sitting in the ClP office”. Slamming Jakhar for an “illegal act”, Badal demanded action against him.