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Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government wins trust vote amid Congress walkout
Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday passed the ‘Confidence Motion’ moved by Bhagwant Mann- led state government to show its strength in the House amid allegations that the BJP was trying to “buy Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs” to destabilise the government under “Operation Lotus”
Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday passed the ‘Confidence Motion’ moved by Bhagwant Mann- led state government to show its strength in the House amid allegations that the BJP was trying to “buy Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs” to destabilise the government under “Operation Lotus”.
The motion was passed unanimously by 93 members present in the House, excluding Speaker. It included 91 MLAs of the ruling AAP. Notably, AAP has 92 members in the House and all voted in favour of the motion.
In a huge embarrassment to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), its only MLA present in the House, Manpreet Ayali, and ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)’s legislator from Nanwanshahr, Nachattar Pal also voted in favour of the motion moved by the Mann government.
Two other MLAs of SAD, Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi and Gainieve Kaur Majithia were not present in the House. The Congress members had boycotted the House proceedings before the discussion and the two BJP members did not attend the House.
SAD leader Ayali’s flip-flop
Though SAD leader Ayali, in his speech during the discussion on the motion, had opposed the resolution, he gave his consent to Speaker Kultar Sandhawan to count his vote in favour of the motion when speaker specifically asked Ayali and Pal about their stand on the issue.
The BSP MLA had supported the motion even during the discussion on the motion. However, later in the evening, in a damage-control move, Ayali wrote a letter to the Speaker to count his and Pal’s vote against the motion.
In the proceedings of the Vidhan Sabha that went live, the Speaker is heard asking the Vidhan Sabha secretary to count members in favour and against the confidence motion.
As there was confusion about votes of two MLAs, on the persuation of the secretary, the Speaker clearly asked Ayali and Pal to clear if they have raised their hands against it. It was only after taking consent of the two MLAs that the Speaker counted their votes in favour of the motion and it was unanimously passed.
The BSP member, in his speech, had said that because the BJP had bought the BSP MLAs supporting the Congress party in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the move to show strength by the government was good.
Ayali in his speech had specifically opposed the motion citing that there was no need of it when only the ruling has 92 MLAs and this govenrment has spent only six months at the saddle.
Mann takes a dig at Cong over walkout
Earlier, chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann took dig at the opposition Congress, claiming that the party has walked out of the House in support of Operation Lotus.
Addressing leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa as Partap Singh Bhajpa (BJP’s short form in Hindi), Mann alleged that both the Congress and the BJP are holding secret meetings in Gujarat against the rise of AAP. “But both have been caught as they abuse AAP in the using same language in Gujarat,” said the CM.
“Such is the plight of the Congress in the country that I asked one of my friends in that party to contest polls for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president. He asked me what would he do even if he is elected as the head of the party. No one is ready to become the president of the party but still they are helping the BJP,” said Mann.
“The confidence motion was moved to tell the public that the government they have formed enjoys the full-confidence despite attempts being made to destabilise it. In a democracy, majority has the say but if someone tries to get a say by buying us, it won’t work,” said the CM. Mann refrained from launching a direct attack on BJP leaders over the alleged attempts to “buy AAP MLAs”.
AAP MLA Sheetal Angural, who has accused the BJP of approaching him to join the party for ₹25 crores, initiated the discussion on the motion and named two senior BJP leaders, who are Union ministers, of sending two-three Dalals (middlemen) to exhort him to join BJP. However, names of both the Union ministers were expunged by the Speaker.
“I have given all proofs to the SIT that is probing the case. Two-three dalals who were claiming to be high court lawyers approached me,” said Angural.
