Chandigarh: The budget session of the Punjab assembly got off to a stormy start on Friday as the main opposition Congress slammed the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the issue of deteriorating law and order and recent killings in the state, during Governor Gulab Chand Kataria’s inaugural address and subsequently staged walkout.
The session began with uproar when leader of opposition (LoP) Partap Bajwa interrupted the governor's speech shortly after it commenced, alleging collapse of law and order and recent killings in the state and stating his objections to the functioning of the chief minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government.
Even though the governor tried to pacify Bajwa urging him to raise his issues at the appropriate time, all the Congress MLAs reached the well of the House raising slogans against the AAP government. They subsequently staged a walkout and boycotted the remainder of the governor’s address.
The situation was also charged up outside the assembly premises where Cabinet minister Harbhajan Singh ETO led a demonstration against Bajwa for which the AAP leaders had also brought a wedding band to mock Bajwa; Bajwa had recently made controversial remark in which he had referred to the minister’s father profession (who was a band-master) and said ``he used to play in a band before; we will take him to task’’.
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Stating that Bajwa had insulted honest and hard-working people (who play band in weddings), Harbhajan Singh demanded an unconditional apology. The state scheduled caste commission had also summoned Bajwa over the issue.
Notably, finance minister Harpal Cheema is scheduled to present the budget on Sunday, coinciding with the International Women’s Day. This will be the first time in the history of vidhan sabha that a budget will be presented on a Sunday.
CONG PROTEST OUTSIDE ASSEMBLY
Meanwhile, led by Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the party workers also staged a demonstration outside Congress Bhawan against the chief minister Bhagwant Mann and the AAP government for its failure to fulfil its commitments to the people. They planned to ‘gherao’ the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on the first day of the budget session but were detained by the police and prevented from reaching the Vidhan Sabha.
