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Punjab Cong MLA hurls shoe at treasury benches over ‘Dalit barb’
CHANDIGARH: The two-night sit-in by Congress MLAs in the floor of the Punjab assembly ended with one of its MLAs, Tarlochan Singh Soondh, hurling a shoe at the treasury
CHANDIGARH: The two-night sit-in by Congress MLAs in the floor of the Punjab assembly ended with one of its MLAs, Tarlochan Singh Soondh, hurling a shoe at the treasury benches on Wednesday.
The shoe hit Punjab revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia on the left side, who then bent over to pick it up and show it to the House.
Subsequently, the House plunged into utter chaos as both sides trained their guns at each other.
Later, speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal adjourned the House sine die. It was the last day of the last session of this assembly before polls next year.
Soondh, while speaking to the media at the press gallery, admitted to throwing the shoe, saying it was aimed at SAD MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha.
A teary-eyed Soondh told the media that Valtoha had said, taking his name, “Ae saale ne chure, chamara da theka laya ae (has he taken responsibility of all chooras and chamars in Punjab). I could not tolerate this insult to my community and hurled a shoe at him,” Soondh said.
Soondh was made the “Speaker” of the mock assembly by the Congress, which was held in the lobby of the assembly.
Leader of opposition Charanjit Singh Channi, at a press briefing, said “100 shoes will be hurled if anyone insults Dalits”.
A number of Punjab Congress MLAs had on Monday refused to vacate the assembly, spending two nights in the House to press for a debate on the no-confidence motion moved by the party against the state government.
As the House reassembled on Wednesday to meet after a holiday on account of Eid yesterday, the opposition Congress members immediately raised their demand before the Zero Hour could be resumed.
Heated exchanges were witnessed between ruling AkaliBJP benches and the Congress members. Both chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy, Sukhbir Singh Badal were present inside the House when the chaos unfolded.
(With agency inputs)
