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Row over Punjab assembly session heats up, govt looks to move Supreme Court
The AAP government in Punjab has decided to call a session of the state assembly on September 27, chief minister Bhagwant Mann said on Thursday — the day his government was slated to hold a special session that was cancelled after the governor withdrew his order for the same.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has decided to call a session of the state assembly on September 27, chief minister Bhagwant Mann said on Thursday — the day his government was slated to hold a special session that was cancelled after the governor withdrew his order for the same.
On Wednesday, a political row broke out after governor Banwarilal Purohit withdrew his order summoning a special assembly session on Thursday for the AAP government to move a confidence motion, citing the absence of specific rules regarding convening the assembly for the motion.
The governor’s move was met with sharp criticism from the top ruling party leaders, and witnessed protests by AAP legislators. While chief minister Bhagwant Mann claimed that the governor’s decision “raised a big question on the country’s democracy”, AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal alleged the move was triggered by “higher-ups”.
Thursday’s decision to reconvene the assembly session with a revised agenda was taken at an emergent meeting of the state cabinet presided by CM Mann in Chandigarh. The chief minister is also likely to move the confidence motion in the upcoming session, party leaders privy to the discussions at the meeting said.
The state government has also decided to challenge the governor’s decision in the Supreme Court, Mann said.
The Punjab chief minister added that the upcoming session -- the decision for which was taken unanimously at the cabinet meeting -- will take up issues such as stubble burning and electricity supply.
“In this session, issues like electricity and stubble burning will be discussed,” the chief minister said after the cabinet meeting.
Earlier in the day, AAP legislators held a protest march from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to the Raj Bhawan against the cancellation of the special session.
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 the 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.
“In absence of the specific rules regarding summoning of the assembly for considering the “confidence motion” only, the September 20 order is withdrawn,” the governor had ruled in the cancellation order.
Mann and finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, in separate statements, said they will approach the Supreme Court against the governor’s “irrational” action of withdrawal of the order calling the session.
“This decision will be challenged in the Supreme Court to safeguard the democratic rights of the people and federal rights of the states,” the CM said before training his guns at the Congress for supporting “Operation Lotus” of the BJP. Cheema accused the governor of acting on behalf of the BJP.
Asked about the duration of the session, parliamentary affairs minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar said it will be decided in accordance with the list of business.
