Punjab Congress Protests Against CM Bhagwant Mann’s Remarks Against Dalit MLA Sukhwinder Kotli

Chandigarh: The Punjab Congress leaders on Tuesday staged a protest against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s remarks against a Dalit MLA of the party on Monday.

Led by the leader of opposition (LoP) Partap Bajwa, state party chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring carried placard rebuking Mann and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and staged a sit-in at the entrance of Punjab assembly before the beginning of the session. They shouted slogans against the chief minister for what they termed as his "unruly" behaviour and remarks against Congress MLA Sukhwinder Kotli inside the House on Monday. They also alleged that Mann sided with the BJP-led NDA government against Punjab’s interests.

It may be recalled that the House had witnessed heated arguments between the treasury and opposition benches on Monday when the chief minister handed over lock and key to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan asking him to lock the Opposition inside the House so that they do not run away during the discussion on the governor’s address. This triggered uproar and unruly scenes with the members of main opposition Congress repeatedly going to the well of the House.

Bajwa held that the chief minister had crossed all the limits of absurdity as on what constitutional ground did he attempt to get the House locked.

Later, the Congress members again sparred with Mann and the treasury benches when the chief minister allegedly humiliated Sukhwinder Kotli, a Dalit legislator of Congress saying that he (Kotli) was having a seizure when Kotli asked Mann about his promise to have a Dalit member as a deputy chief minister.