Congress questions legality of Punjab assembly session, cites ‘constitutional crisis’

Punjab’s leader of opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said that the state is facing a “constitutional crisis” and asked Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to clarify whether the two-day assembly session that began on Friday is legal after governor Banwarilal Purohit’s objection.

Speaking during question hour after the House reassembled following obituary references, Bajwa turned to the Speaker and sought the clarification. “Punjab is facing an constitutional crisis, one it has not seen in 75 years. The governor has already termed the Vidhan Sabha session illegal and void. He has withheld the approval of the money Bills. When the session is already termed illegal, what are we here to discuss?” Bajwa said.

When Bajwa asked Sandhwan to clarify on the letters written to chief minister Bhagwant Mann by the governor, the Speaker said he was not in receipt of any of the missives. “The Opposition is in a dilemma on whether it should participate in such a session that has been termed illegal by the governor,” he said, showing the governor’s letter.

Bajwa said even the Bills presented in the last Vidhan Sabha session have not been signed by the governor over the same issue, “so how can we participate in this illegal session?”

On this, the Speaker assured the House that the session was legal.

Bajwa said: “They (the government) say that they have to take up important issues, including the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal, thus we want that first the government should clarify over objections of the governor.”

Oppn running away from SYL debate: Harpal Cheema

Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the Congress is running away the session as it’s leader and then prime minister Indira Gandhi had planned the SYL Canal and then leader Captain Amarinder Singh had participated in the foundation stone-laying ceremony. The Shiromani Akali Dal, he said, had also facilitated the construction of the SYL Canal in lieu of benefits in Haryana. “Both the SAD and the Congress are running away from debate as they know the session will expose their misdeeds over SYL.”

At this, the Congress members started raising slogans against the Speaker.

House pays tributes to MS Gill, Bir Devinder Singh

Earlier, the House had assembled on Friday morning amid the tussle between the Raj Bhavan and the Aam Aadmi Party government over the legality of the session. The proceedings of the two-day session began with the Speaker reading out obituary references.

The House remembered forme Union minister and ex-chief election commissioner Manohar Singh Gill, former Punjab deputy speaker Bir Devinder Singh, former parliamentary secretary Gurbinder Singh Atwal, former MLA Ram Kishan Kataria, freedom fighters Jaimal Singh, Anokh Singh and Darshan Singh, martyrs Colonel Manpreet Singh, sepoy Pardeep Singh, sepoy Parvinder Singh, sepoy Tarandeep Singh, professor Balbir Chand Verma; Dr Amar Singh Azad; and singer Surinder Shinda besides farm scientist MS Swaminathan.