E-Paper
Punjab: Assembly budget session set to be a stormy affair
AAP, SAD-BJP combine planning to corner the Capt Amarinder-led govt over the ruling party’s ‘unfulfilled’ pre-poll promises
The budget session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha starting Thursday will be a stormy affair with principal opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) combine planning to target the Capt Amarinder Singh-led government over what they term as “unfulfilled pre-poll promises” made by the ruling Congress.
Competing with each in terms of political one-upmanship, the opposition parties are demanding extension in the session by at least 15-20 days so that all issues concerning the state could be discussed threadbare.
Both the AAP and the SAD-BJP legislators on Wednesday met Vidhan Sabha speaker Rana KP Singh seeking extension in the number of sittings during the forthcoming session.
“We demanded at least 20 sittings as the present session will have only six from February 20 to 28,” said AAP’s Sunam MLA Aman Arora.
Leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema said most of the promises made by the Congress in the run-up to the 2017 assembly polls have not been fulfilled.
“In 2017, the Congress promised a job to every Punjab household and bring back the state’s economy back on the track. State finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal even came up with a white paper on this, but nothing happened. The list was long as all promises made for the uplift of Dalits such as provision of post-matric scholarship and 5 marla houses have fallen flat,” said Cheema
Akali MLA and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia demanded that the session be extended by at least 15 days so as to cover the issues like providing electricity at ₹5 per unit to all consumers in Punjab, compensation to families of farm suicide victims, diversification, ghar ghar rozgar besides implementation of the pay commission and the SC scholarship.
State parliamentary affairs minister Brahm Mohindra said the number of sittings depends on the business the members propose before a session.
“I have been telling the members to get involved in the Vidhan Sabha working so that the business days and sittings could be extended. The business advisory committee will meet on Thursday to deliberate on the opposition’s demands,” he added.
2 PRIVATE RESOLUTIONS ON OPENING DAY
The House will hold discussions on two private resolutions on the opening day of the session. The first will be on preparing a master plan to build infrastructure in government schools and roping in NRIs keen to rebuild educational institutions. The pother will be on finding a solution to impending water scarcity in state. The House would open with obituaries.
Budget estimates will be presented on February 25 while a day before the House will hold discussion on the governor’s address delivered during the previous session. The session will adjourn sine die on February 28.
