Punjab: Stage set for stormy budget session
Opposition, led by Congress, looks to corner AAP government over police action against farmers, assault on colonel and breakdown of law and order
The budget session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha starting Friday is likely to witness stormy scenes with the opposition parties preparing to corner the government over the police action against the farmer unions, arrest of their farmer leaders, brutal police assault on a serving army colonel, breakdown of law and order and a host of other crucial issues.
The opposition parties, particularly the Congress, went after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Thursday over the detention of farmer leaders and activists, who had been protesting at Shambhu and Khanauri, and dismantling of protest sites a day earlier, with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MPs staging a protest outside the Parliament to condemn the police action and demand their immediate release. The government is also facing heat over its failure to name the 12 policemen who thrashed the army officer and his son over a car parking issue last week.
The Congress, the principal opposition party in Punjab, has already announced its intentions to go after the AAP government in the state assembly over its handling of the farmer stir, the short duration of the assembly session, corruption, and unfulfilled promises. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said that there is total misgovernance and a breakdown of law and order in the state. “The manner in which the protesting farmers have been treated, the shameful incident of assault on an army officer, drug menace, rampant corruption, and the failure to restore the old pension scheme, illegal sand mining, etc. have all completely exposed the AAP government. We will take them on all these issues,” he said, questioning the government about the promise of badlav (change) it made before the state elections.
Congress legislature party deputy leader Aruna Chaudhary said that all party MLAs are geared up to hold the state government accountable for its failure to provide ₹1,000 monthly allowance to women, deterioration in law and order, scam in paddy procurement at discounted rates and discrimination in development works. Punjab affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel met the Congress MLAs on Tuesday to discuss the strategy to corner the state government. BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma said that they would ask the treasury benches regarding the unfulfilled promises, highlighting the state government’s complete failure to deliver on its commitments.
The ruling AAP, on the other hand, is also fully geared up to counter the opposition’s narrative, particularly on the issue of evicting farmers from the protest sites at Shambhu and Khanauri to clear the roads.
Cabinet minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that prolonged road closures by the protesting farmers at Shambhu and Khanauri borders were hindering industrial growth in Punjab, which is essential for creating employment opportunities. “Employment is the most effective way to steer our youth away from drugs. The closures, lasting over a year, severely impacted Punjab’s economy and hindered industrial development,” he said. The treasury benches are also preparing to highlight the impact of frequent protests on the economic health of the state.
6-day session to begin with guv’s address
The budget session will commence on Friday with the governor’s customary address to be followed by a motion of thanks and discussion on it on March 24, according to the schedule released by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha secretariat. On March 25, supplementary demands of grants, finance accounts and appropriate accounts for the year 2023-24 will be present before the Appropriation Bill in respect of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2024-25 is taken up. Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema will present his budget estimates for the 2025-26 financial year on March 26. The general discussion on budget estimates will take place and conclude on March 27. Legislative business will be taken up on March 28, the last day of the budget session.
The Punjab cabinet approved the budget for the 2025-26 financial year on Thursday. After the cabinet meeting, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema told reporters that the cabinet approval followed a detailed discussion. “The budget will now be sent to the governor for his approval and then presented in the state assembly on March 26,” he added.
