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Punjab assembly: Congress MLAs walk out against minister Dhaliwal’s remark
Leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa demanded action against those who shared details of VIPs whose security had been withdrawn on social media last year, including that of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, leading to his murder
Congress MLAs led by leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa walked out the Punjab assembly on Thursday to protest a remark by state rural development minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal that the Akalis and they had “played politics on the corpses of thousands of Punjabi youngsters”.
Also read: Moosewala’s parents protest outside Punjab assembly, seek CBI probe into singer’s killing
Dhaliwal made the remark during zero hour when ruling Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and their Congress counterparts were locked in a verbal duel over the withdrawal of security to late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala last May.
The matter was raised by Bajwa, who demanded action against those who shared details of VIPs whose security had been withdrawn on social media last year, including that of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
Moosewala, who unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections as the Congress candidate last year, was shot dead by gangsters on May 29, 2022, in Mansa district soon after it became public that his security had been curtailed.
The opposition party MLAs also raised concerns over the law and order in the state.
Dhaliwal hit back at Congress leaders Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Bajwa, saying that their party and the Akalis “had played politics on the corpses of youngsters when they were in power”.
This led to chaos in the House as the Congress MLAs entered the well and raised slogans in protest, while AAP members countered them. Later, the Congress MLAs walked out.
Meanwhile, Moosewala’s parents Balkaur Singh and Charan Kaur have been seeking justice and sitting in protest outside the assembly complex in Chandigarh. “For 10 months, nothing concrete has been done. Enough time has been given to the police and the administration to act. But the reality is the (murder) case is being suppressed. Crucial witnesses are being eliminated and nothing is going in our favour. So, we are forced to sit outside the Vidhan Sabha,” the singer’s father said. “Till the time, the state assembly is in session, we will sit outside in protest,” he added, demanding a CBI probe.
