Akalis, AAP MLAs walk out of Punjab special assembly session over unkept promises
CHANDIGARH Members of the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party walked out of the special session of the Punjab assembly here on Thursday that began with the address by governor VP Singh Badnore on the Congress government’s plans and promises.
The Shiromani Akali Dal MLAs were quick to register their protest as they asked the governor what good his past addresses had done for the people of Punjab. Carrying toys to the House, the members said it symbolised the false promises made by the Congress government led by Capt Amarinder Singh to the people of the state.
Though the AAP MLAs listened quietly to the governor, they decided to walk out later, saying his address failed to impress. They said no new issue was taken up. The speech was a rehash of previous speeches delivered in the House.
The two-day special session – the 10th of the 15th Vidhan Sabha – has been convened to ratify the Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill, 2019, which seeks to extend the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for another 10 years. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 10, 2019, and by the Rajya Sabha on December 12, 2019.
The Amarinder Singh-led Congress government will go by the will of the House on the way forward with respect to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR).