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Uproar in Punjab assembly as Congress seeks cabinet minister Fauja Singh Sarari’s sacking
Congress MLAs protest in Well of the House, AAP members respond with counter sloganeering; Sarari stays mum throughout; appeals by Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, who hit out at the protesting members for disrupting the proceedings, and two senior ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora failed to pacify the Congress legislators.
A day after chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann said that a notice has been served to minister Fauja Singh Sarari over the alleged extortion plan audio clip, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha witnessed unabated ruckus on Thursday with slogan-shouting Congress MLAs seeking Sarari’s immediate dismissal from the cabinet and arrest.
The Congress MLAs, who came to the state assembly wearing aprons with slogans against Sarari, stayed in the Well of the House for most part of the proceedings that lasted almost three hours on day two of the ongoing session and raised slogans throughout to press their demand. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members also responded with counter-slogans, making it a shouting match. Appeals by Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, who hit out at the protesting members for disrupting the proceedings, and two senior ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora failed to pacify the Congress legislators.
Since the CM was not present, the Congress members insisted on an assurance from them that the cabinet minister’s controversy would be discussed in the House and a statement made by the chief minister. They continued the sloganeering till the end of the day’s proceedings in absence of an affirmative response. Sarari, who was present in the House, stayed mum throughout.
Thursday was fixed for “non-official business”.
BJP MLAs Ashwani Sharma and Jangi Lal Mahajan did not attend the proceedings while three SAD members, who were present, staged a walkout when they did not get an opportunity to speak during the zero hour.
As soon as the House met, leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, who belongs to the Congress, raked up the audio clip issue during the zero hour. Bajwa said the minister should be dismissed and a case be registered against him. “It has been almost 20 days since the audio clip surfaced and serving of a notice to him (Sarari) is insufficient,” he said.
Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and some other MLAs of the principal opposition party joined in. The speaker told the Congress members that they had put across their view, and should allow others to take up their issues. Bajwa and Sukhpal Singh Khaira, also of the Congress, asked Sandhwan to give an assurance that Mann would make a statement in the House on this issue. To which, the speaker said he could not give any such assurance.
AAP legislator Budh Ram hit back at the Congress members, saying they were wasting time of the House, while some other party MLAs raised counter-slogans, accusing the Congress of acting as the ‘B-team’ of the BJP. Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that Congress members wanted zero hour, and when the speaker allowed it, they had nothing to say against the government except nitpicking. As the furore continued, Sandhwan adjourned the House for 30 minutes.
When the proceedings resumed, Sandhwan expressed displeasure over the conduct of the Congress members in the House, stating that they owed it to Punjabis to let the House function smoothly. The Congress members again trooped into the well of the House and started raising slogans against the speaker and the government. As the Congress members continued their protest, Cheema slammed the opposition members for not submitting any questions for the session whereas Arora called their protest “dramebaazi” (theatrics). Sandhwan then allowed a discussion on a resolution moved by Sarvjit Kaur Manuke and Kulwant Singh Pandori of the AAP on SC scholarships and steps needed to be taken to safeguard the interests of children belonging to the community. Deputy speaker Jai Kishan Singh Rori, who was in the speaker’s chair at one stage, asked the Congress MLAs to go back to their seats and discuss the issue of scholarships for SC students. The Congress members reiterated their demand for a discussion on the Sarari issue. In the din of slogan-shouting, much of what the members who participated in discussion said was not audible. A few of them had even requested the speaker to make the protesting MLAs take their seats or send them out.
Congress legislature party deputy leader Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal later said that by bringing the resolution on SC scholarships in the state assembly, the AAP government has conceded that after six months of their rule in the state, SC students are still not getting their scholarship dues. “They (AAP) try to dramatise everything. What has this government has done in past six months? They are only creating unnecessary hue and cry. If there is any scam, why have they not taken any action if someone from the previous government is involved in it,” he asked, urging the government to take immediate steps to safeguard the interests of SC students.
