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Punjab: Bajwa targets AAP govt, Congress stages walkout
On the law and order situation, the Congress leader accused the government of utter failure in ensuring the security of people’s lives and property, claiming there was a growing clamour for arms licences
A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government presented its ‘guarantee-fulfilling budget’, leader of opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday tore into the government’s claims in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha before leading a walkout by the Congress members, claiming that the party wasn’t given adequate time to raise issues of public importance.
Participating in the discussion on the motion of thanks on the governor’s address on Day 3 of the budget session, Bajwa accused the AAP government of failing to fulfil its promises of taking action against the culprits in the Bargari sacrilege and Behbal Kalan police firing cases, tackling the law-and-order situation, and improving the state’s fiscal health.
Bajwa was rebutting finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema’s claim, in his budget speech, that the government had fulfilled all its promises. The minister had even termed it ‘Saari Guarantiyan Puri Karan Wala Budget’. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann and some other ruling party members asked the Congress leader if he was speaking on the governor’s address or the budget speech. When the speaker asked Bajwa to wind up his speech as he had finished the 16 minutes allotted to the party, the Congress MLAs entered the well of the House, raised slogans, and staged a walkout.
The LoP, who was the first speaker from the opposition, began his speech by questioning the delay in justice in sacrilege cases. He said that before the 2022 assembly elections, AAP leaders, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, had promised to bring the guilty to book, citing the findings of former police officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh (who was later elected as an MLA), in the matter. He added that several sacrilege-related cases were transferred to courts in other states and that little was done to keep them in Punjab. Recalling that the sacrilege issue was discussed in the House last year and that a committee report was promised within six months, he urged the state government to table it.
On the law and order situation, the Congress leader accused the government of utter failure in ensuring the security of people’s lives and property, claiming there was a growing clamour for arms licences.
“Every third person is getting extortion calls and letters. Three sarpanches of AAP have been killed. Those who cannot keep their own sarpanches and people safe, what guarantees are they talking about?” he asked.
He also questioned the government’s claim of tackling the drug menace, stating that drugs were still freely available in several areas. “It was like ordering drugs from an online delivery service,” he added.
Bajwa cited a ruling party MP’s statement that police and some AAP leaders are involved in drugs and illegal mining.
The ruling AAP came under fire from the LoP on its promise of improving the state’s fiscal health. Bajwa said they had claimed that mining reforms would generate ₹20,000 crore annually, while plugging financial leakages in government spending would save another ₹34,000 crore every year. “Together, these claims amounted to ₹54,000 crore annually, but the government has failed to explain where this promised revenue has gone. They have just raised ₹1,200 crore from mining in four years,” he said.
Questioning the government’s allocation of ₹9,300 crore for the cash transfer scheme for women and the delay in announcing its launch, he said that this meant they would get the promised stipend for just nine months. “Their promise of ₹1,000 per month means every woman should get ₹60,000. What about the rest of the money?” he asked, urging the state government to clarify whether they would release the arrears or pay for just nine months.
He highlighted the government’s failure to fulfil its promise of establishing 16 medical colleges over five years, adding that after four budgets, it had identified locations for only five colleges — Sangrur, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Malerkotla and Mastuana Sahib, but had built no buildings or infrastructure. He sought an update on the establishment of a Fintech City in Mohali. Earlier, during question hour, Bajwa raised the issue of the listing of questions. The LoP said that his question regarding the status of the state’s agriculture policy was listed, and he had received the questionnaire, but it was removed, probably because the agriculture minister was not keen to give a reply.
