Chandigarh: The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday sought the resignation of Speaker, Kultar Singh Sandhwan and chief minister Bhagwant Mann on moral grounds for squandering Punjab's exchequer on an ``illegal’’ house session held on Friday.
Bajwa, a senior Congress leader, said that Speaker Sandhwan abruptly called off the ongoing session and adjourned it sine die. "The haste with which the session was adjourned proves that the session was illegal. Therefore, someone from the government must bear the onus of calling the house session in the first place," he said and added that neither did the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) present any bill nor did it hold any brainstorming discussion on Punjab issues take place in the session. Hence, what was the point of holding this session, he asked, adding that all the CM did was announce that they would move to the Supreme Court of India against the governor’s letter in which he had termed the session "illegal".
Stating that the ruling of the Speaker that the "session was legal", could not be unsettled by the CM, he said that there had never been such a casual approach to summoning the House without a decision on the business to be transacted.
"Sine-die adjournment of the House cannot be a routine. It is an exception to be used only in unforeseeable circumstances and emergent situations. It is also used to avoid re-summoning the House at short notice through the usual mode adopted after prorogation," the LoP added.
The opposition leader said that it took around Rs 75 lakh to hold a Vidhan Sabha session for a day and it was Punjab's taxpayers’ hard-earned money that the AAP government wasted recklessly yesterday which the AAP government must deposit in the exchequer from its party funds.
Bajwa said that the government’s handling of the House proceedings was a complete and utter mess and it showed that the government was not prepared or serious about dealing with the burning issues in Punjab.
