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Political war in Punjab as governor takes back special assembly session nod
Governor Banwarilal Purohit cancelled the one-day session slated for Thursday by withdrawing an order he issued on Tuesday to summon the 16th Vidhan Sabha for its third (special) session.
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday withdrew his order summoning a special assembly session on Thursday for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to move a confidence motion, triggering a sharp reaction from chief minister Bhagwant Mann who claimed the decision “raised a big question on the country’s democracy”.
AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also sought to know how the governor could deny permission for the session sought by the state cabinet, and alleged the move was triggered by “higher-ups”. Late on Wednesday, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann called a meeting of all the party MLAs on Thursday.
Governor Purohit cancelled the one-day session slated for Thursday by withdrawing an order he issued on Tuesday to summon the 16th Vidhan Sabha for its third (special) session.
“I, Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Punjab hereby withdraw my orders, regarding summoning of the sixteenth Vidhan Sabha of the state of Punjab to meet for its third (Special) session on Thursday in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha hall,” the order, a copy of which HT has seen, said.
In his order, the governor cited the absence of specific rules regarding convening the assembly for considering the “confidence motion”.
The Punjab cabinet on Tuesday approved summoning of the session to move a confidence motion in the favour of the state government. The special session was called amid a political slugfest between the ruling party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the latter’s alleged attempts, according to AAP, under “Operation Lotus” to offer bribes to legislators to topple the state government. The AAP last week accused the BJP of offering ₹25 crore each to 10 AAP MLAs -- a charge the BJP categorically denied.
Mann also reiterated the allegations while announcing his decision to convene the session on Tuesday. On September 14, an FIR was registered by Punjab Police on the basis of a complaint by nine AAP MLAs against the BJP. The case was subsequently transferred to the vigilance bureau. However, no names or contact details of those who tried to lure the MLAs were mentioned in the FIR.
The governor’s decision to withdraw the order came a day after leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira, and Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma gave representations that there was no legal provision to convene a special session for “confidence motion only” in favour of the state government.
The governor not allowing the assembly to run raises big questions on the country’s democracy, Mann said in a tweet in Punjabi.
“Will democracy be run by public representatives elected by crores of people or a person appointed by the central government… people are watching everything,” he said. Kejriwal asked how the governor can make such a move. “...A call came from above asking him to withdraw the permission,” he said. The BJP termed the governor’s move as an “appropriate decision”. Its national general secretary, Tarun Chugh, accused the AAP of trying to use the assembly for “selfish political purposes”. Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also welcomed the governor’s move.
