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Ruckus in House as AAP, Cong exchange barbs over drug drive
Heated exchanges and allegations marred the final day of the special assembly session as the treasury and opposition benches clashed during the discussion on ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh.’
Heated exchanges and allegations marred the final day of the special assembly session as the treasury and opposition benches clashed during the discussion on ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh.’
Pandemonium prevailed in the house when during the discussion on the issue, AAP MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura got into a heated argument with Congress legislator Avtar Singh Henry Junior. The Congress member used ‘objectionable’ language to Giaspura when the latter accused the Congress member’s family of patronising the drug trade.
The ruling members stood up in their seats, asking deputy speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rouri to take action against the Congress MLA. The Congress MLA admitted to using objectionable language, claiming that nobody can tolerate the allegation of drugs against his family.
Later, speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, after checking the record ruled that the Congress member needs to apologise to the House for using ‘unparliamentary language’.
Earlier, finance minister Harpal Cheema and cabinet minister Aman Arora during the debate accused leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa of issuing a statement in favour of former minister Bikram Majithia after his arrest in the disproportionate assets case.
Bajwa, in his speech in the discussion, showed a copy of the FIR registered by him against both Cheema and Arora for twisting his statement regarding the arrest of Majithia.
Arora, however, hit back and showed Bajwa’s post on X, claiming that in it he had categorically opposed Majithia’s arrest.
Bajwa claimed that he never opposed Majithia’s arrest and only had opposed the way vigilance teams arrested and barged into the room of fellow MLA Ganieve Kaur Majithia.
Cheema was also involved in a verbal spat with Congress member Sukhpal Singh Khaira when the finance minister referred to the drug case registered against him. The Congress MLA objected to it strongly and said a five-member bench of the Supreme Court has stayed proceedings against him and the case against him was a political witch-hunt.
No leniency in drug-related cases, says Mann
Chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, on the concluding day of the special assembly session, said that the state government has adopted no leniency policy against those behind the “genocide” of youths through the scourge of drugs in the state.
Participating in a debate on the issue of ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ (war against drugs) on the concluding day of the special session of the assembly, the CM said that the ‘jarnails’ (leaders), who had patronised the drug trade have already been put behind bars.
“These leaders not only used to patronise drug trade across the state, but ironically they even sold/supplied drugs,” Mann said, adding that in the past no one dared to touch these influential leaders. “Now the AAP government has put them behind bars, and they will have to pay for their sins,” the CM said, assuring the House that an exemplary punishment will be ensured for such elements.
The CM said that the scourge of drugs was a blot on the face of the state, and it took more than two years for the state government to chalk out a strategy for wiping out this curse.
“Those responsible for deaths of Punjab youths due to drug overdose won’t be spared,” Mann added.
Mann said that after the anti-drug drive, the supply line of drugs has been snapped, big fish involved in these heinous crimes have been put behind bars and rehabilitation of the drug victims was ensured. “The properties of the drug smugglers were being confiscated and destroyed. The war against drugs aims to clean the state from this menace,” the CM said.
