Congress MLAs find mics switched off when they seek to corner govt on law and order, drugs, illegal mining, OPS

Multiple attempts by the Congress members to raise issues pertaining to law and order, drug menace, illegal mining, pending Dearness Allowance (DA) and restoration of Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the Vidhan Sabha were disallowed by Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwanon the concluding day of the budget session.

Mics of the Congress MLAs, including that of Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, were on switched off on several occasions.

Speaking during the Zero Hour, Bajwa raised the issue of Gurjit Singh Khalsa who is sitting atop a water tank in Samana for more than a year.

“He is demanding an anti sacrilege law.

The House has sent the Bill in this regard to the select committee.

It has been eight months.

The government should make it clear as to when they will bring this Bill in the House,” he said.

The LoP also demanded that in in thebudgetsession, at least two hours should have been kept for discussions on law and order and drug menace.

“Entire state is affected and worried.

We should at least spare some time to discuss these issues and the government should lay a statement on the floor of the House,” he said.

Responding to Bajwa, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused him of being absent from the meeting of Business Advisory Committee when the agenda for the House was being discussed.

“That day neither were you present nor did you attend phone calls.

You should have put these points at the committee’s meeting.

You did not attend the meeting either unintentionally or deliberately,” he said.

As Bajwa sought to respond to Cheema, his mic remained switched off.

On another occasion, during tabling of a Bill on stone crushers, Bajwa raised the issue of rampant illegal mining.

He said that ahead of the 2022 assembly polls, AAP national convenorArvind Kejriwalhad promised to generate Rs 20,000 crore per year from mining.

Mining Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said many potash deposits had been found in Punjab and if the Centre cooperated with state government then Kejriwal’s Rs 20,000-crore revenue statement would come true.

However the LoP retaliated that when Kejriwal made that comment he had referred to revenue from sand mining and not from minerals like potash.

“Gunda parchi is rampant in the state in sand mining.

A committee of the House should be constituted.

The Minister should come with us and see,” said Bajwa before his mic was switched off.

On yet another instance Bajwa intervened during an AAP MLA’s question regarding roads damaged due to highway construction by NHAI and claimed that that roads in villages across Punjab had been destroyed due to illegal mining.

At this, Health Minister Balbir Singh said it was Capt Amarinder Singh who as then Chief Minister wrote a letter toSonia Gandhion party leaders being involved in illegal mining in the state.

“Now there is no illegal mining, only legal mining and roads may have gotten damaged by the tipper trucks,” he said.

Here again Bajwa’s mic was not switched on when he attempted to reply to the minister.

Congress MLA Pargat Singh raised the issue of pending cases of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.

“The Chief Minister should give latest situation on progress in these cases,” he said.

He also raised the issue of the killing of Gurdaspur youth Ranjit Singh in a police encounter and said his post mortem report has come which has caused certain doubts on the police theory.

Gurdaspur MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra demanded that Finance Minister Cheema should announce the implementation of OPS as promised by AAP government as well as the DA for government employees before his mic was also switched off with the Speaker saying that only one issue could be raised at one time.