The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the Union government confer the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, upon late Dalit icon and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram.
The resolution, which came a day after the Ropar-born leader’s 92nd birth anniversary, led to an hour-long debate, with members across party lines, including the ruling AAP, Congress, and SAD, honouring his role in the socio-political awakening of the “Bahujan Samaj (the community of the majority). In a political and sociological context, it refers to the consolidated group of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and religious minorities, who collectively form the demographic majority of India’s population.
Far from a mere commemorative gesture, the Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram is a strategic demand ahead of the Punjab assembly elections early next year. At 32%, Punjab has the highest percentage of the country’s SC population that could prove to be the influential swing factor in the state’s 117 constituencies.
However, the spirit of consensus was short-lived as the House descended into chaos when AAP MLA Manjit Singh Bilaspur moved a censure motion against the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress. The motion was in response to the Congress leader’s alleged “Band baje wale (band players)” remark directed at PWD minister Harbhajan Singh ETO during a political rally in Jandiala Guru on February 6.
{{/usCountry}}However, the spirit of consensus was short-lived as the House descended into chaos when AAP MLA Manjit Singh Bilaspur moved a censure motion against the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress. The motion was in response to the Congress leader’s alleged “Band baje wale (band players)” remark directed at PWD minister Harbhajan Singh ETO during a political rally in Jandiala Guru on February 6.
{{/usCountry}}The treasury benches termed the remark as a “casteist slur” and an insult to the Dalit community. In retaliation, the opposition Congress staged a walkout, boycotting the proceedings and calling the motion a “diversionary tactic”. In their absence, the House passed the censure motion by voice vote.
With the opposition absent and the legislative business concluded, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan adjourned the Punjab Vidhan Sabha sine-die.
Earlier in the day, the House witnessed high drama when ruling AAP legislators arrived wearing white vests over their clothes to protest the alleged shortage of gas cylinders. The vests bore the slogan: “Narendra Modi ne kitta surrender, gayab hoya gas cylinder (Narendra Modi has surrendered; the gas cylinder has disappeared).”
The members stormed the well of the House, raising slogans against the central government. Speaker Sandhwan repeatedly urged the members to maintain decorum and protest after the Question Hour, but the uproar continued, forcing a 20-minute adjournment.