Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday questioned the logic behind speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal's threat to suspend party MLAs if they continue to screen the CD showing revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia hurling expletives at Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh in the Vidhan Sabha.
Amarinder declared that the CD would be screened during campaigning for the February 23 Moga byelection, adding that if the speaker suspended him or any other party member, the Congress would approach the court. He said the speaker was not only defending Majithia but also trying to gag Congress members from showing the "reality" to the people of Punjab.
The state Congress president said it was absolutely illogical on the speaker's part to claim that the remarks had been expunged from the House proceedings when he (Atwal) had himself allowed the proceedings to be telecast live. Amarinder pointed out that the recordings were already in the public domain and it would be impossible to take these back.
The former CM said the speaker was claiming that he did not hear anything of what Majithia had said. "If the speaker did not hear anything, then what made him expunge the remarks?" asked Amarinder. He added, "When it comes to taking action against Majithia, the speaker feigns ignorance, saying that he did not hear anything, but when it comes to showing it (what Majithia spoke) to the people, he comes out with gag orders."
The Captain said if the speaker had expunged the remarks from the House proceedings, then there must be something wrong about these remarks. "What action has he taken against the person who made such remarks in the House that these were needed to be expunged?" Amarinder asked, while alleging that the speaker had suspended an innocent Congress MLA who was the target of Majithia's expletives, but not even censured or admonished the latter for behaviour unbecoming of a minister.
{{/usCountry}}The Captain said if the speaker had expunged the remarks from the House proceedings, then there must be something wrong about these remarks. "What action has he taken against the person who made such remarks in the House that these were needed to be expunged?" Amarinder asked, while alleging that the speaker had suspended an innocent Congress MLA who was the target of Majithia's expletives, but not even censured or admonished the latter for behaviour unbecoming of a minister.
{{/usCountry}}Asserting that the speaker could not keep taking one-sided decisions which smacked of political bias, Amarinder said, "All these decisions will be subjected to legal scrutiny." The former CM told the speaker that he was the guardian of the entire House, not just of the ruling party.