AAP, SAD-BJP members walk out, say not given time to speak
CHANDIGARH : Members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal-bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) combine on Friday staged a walkout from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for not given opportunity to speak in the House.
The MLAS of the opposition parties trooped into the well of the House before marching out.
SAD-BJP members, however, returned after some time only to make an exit again amid anti-government sloganeering in protest against the dismissal of government school teacher Parminder Singh Bariana, a Punjabi teacher at Government High School, Nangal Isher.
The teacher was dismissed from service on the recommendation of the special privileges committee of the House for posting objectionable material on the social media and criticising the Ranjit Singh panel report.
Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the harsh action was taken against the teacher despite the fact that two MLAS of his party, Pawan Tinu and Sukhwinder Kumar, had given a dissenting note against the decision of the committee. Leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema of the AAP said, “We walked out of the House because we were not allowed to raise issues or move private bill.”
AAP member Aman Arora said they were stopped from entering the House because they were demanding scrapping of power purchase agreements with the private power producing companies.
The AAP MLAS raised slogans ‘bijli mafia bandh karo’ (stop electricity mafia).
“A call attention motion moved by me to scrap power purchase agreements was not allowed as the House took the plea that it was a special session,” added Arora.
ALSO PROTEST AGAINST DISMISSAL OF GOVT SCHOOL TEACHER FOR POSTING MATERIAL ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA AND CRITICISING RANJIT SINGH PANEL REPORT