The Opposition Congress staged a walk out from the House, minutes after the special session of the Punjab legislative assembly resumed on the second day.
Congress legislators demanded that the question hour be held and call-attention motions be taken up. They also complained in the House that the mandatory meeting of the business advisory committee, which has members of all the parties, was also not held.
After staging a walkout, leader of opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa, addressed the media and said, “It has been nine months since the AAP government claimed to expose the BJP on the alleged Operation Lotus but it has failed to produce the details of the FIR lodged relating to it.”
“In wake of the hype on Operation Lotus, the AAP government called for a special assembly session of three-and-a-half-hours, involving the CM and Opposition leaders. ₹6 crore of taxpayers’ money was squandered on that debate. Now, the AAP government has been evading the questions on the matter,” added the leader of opposition (LoP).
Bajwa said the people of Punjab deserved information on which BJP leader tried to horse-trade the AAP MLA. “The AAP had alleged that around 10 MLAs of their party were offered ₹25 lakh each to join BJP,” he said, adding that the state assembly has been reduced to a debating house.
“Why were questions not taken up, zero hour not held and call-attention motions not allowed,” he questioned, adding that the agendas were not supplied to the Opposition members in time.
{{/usCountry}}“Why were questions not taken up, zero hour not held and call-attention motions not allowed,” he questioned, adding that the agendas were not supplied to the Opposition members in time.
{{/usCountry}}The members of the House were denied the right to raise significant issues in question hour and zero hour, he further said.
Amendment in Act of 1925 violation of Tara Singh-Nehru pact
Commenting on the amendment in the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925 approved by the House, Bajwa said that it amounts to the violation of the Tara Singh-Nehru Pact.
“So far as the substitution of governor with chief minister as chancellor of state universities through amendment in the Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023 is concerned, it would deprive the government of availing central grants as it violates the guidelines of the Union Grants Commission,” he added. The agendas on all crucial matters were circulated to the members in advance, Bajwa complained.