Punjab assembly passes 9 Bills in 39 minutes

The assembly poll-bound ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine hailed as “historic” the Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s single-sitting “special session” on Monday that was wrapped up in 46 minutes.

The assembly poll-bound ruling Akali Dal-BJP combine hailed as “historic” the Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s single-sitting “special session” on Monday that was wrapped up in 46 minutes.

52 ruling party legislators present in the House of 117 passed unanimously nine populist Bills without debate and within 39 minutes. (Keshav Singh/HT)

Historic, indeed, this session was as just 52 ruling party legislators present in the House of 117 passed unanimously nine populist Bills without debate and within 39 minutes.

The new laws were made in the absence of 43 Congress legislators, independents and about seven Akali Dal MLAs who have resigned after denial of ticket, who didn’t attend the session even as Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal is yet to accept their resignations.

No just this, Monday’s assembly session—hopefully last of this government---was also historic for the manner the decorum of the House the members present maintained.

Barring a few law makers, when the Bills were being pushed in a breakneck speed, majority were seen talking and going into huddles in different benches.

This pack of ‘busy in chit-chat’ legislators was led by deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

And, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal didn’t attend the “historic” session that was convened after Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore refused to sign the controversial ordinance to regularise 30,000 employees hired via back-door.

It was after the parleys between the government and the governor failed last Friday over the ordinance the government decided to summon the vidhan sabha session and convert the ordinance into a Bill.

The contentious clause of the Punjab Ad-hoc, contractual, daily wage, temporary, work charged and outsourced employees welfare, Bill-2016 is that it provide for keeping this regularization of A,B,C,D category employees out of the ambit of judicial scrutiny.

“This is a historic Bill and a historic day as the government has helped those employees who were facing uncertain future. The Congress has revealed its true anti-employee face by not attending the proceedings of the House,” parliamentary affairs minister Madan Mohan Mittal, who moved this Bill, said outside the House.