Budget session: AAP readies to corner govt

We want that the government should pay loan instalments of farmers till the debt waiver is announced to provide them immediate relief.

CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is gearing up to corner the Punjab government over a host of issues, including farmers’ suicides, farm debt waiver and “mining mafia”, during the Amarinder Singh dispensation’s maiden budget session which would begin on June 14.

The budget session is scheduled to commence at 2pm on June 14 with obituary references and adjourn sine die after the proposed legislative business on June 23.

“We will be taking up several burning issues like rising number of farmers’ suicides taking place in the state. Non-implementation of farm debt waiver by the Congress-led government is also another issue which will be taken up during the budget session,” AAP MLA and leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha HS Phoolka said on Sunday.

Phoolka, a Supreme Court lawyer, said the party will also highlight the “poor” education system in Punjab and demand doubling of budget on education. The party will also demand filling vacant seats of teachers in government schools for the standard of education in the state, he added. “Sand mining mafia is another important issue which we will be raising in the assembly,” Phoolka said.

AAP, the main Opposition party in the state assembly, has also decided to train several of its first-time legislators in parliamentary exercises so that they can “effectively raise” burning issues in the House.

A team of subject experts will also be attached with each legislator by the party to help them prepare for discussions in the assembly, he said.

Notably, opposition parties have been demanding sacking of Punjab cabinet minister Rana Gurjit Singh, who was facing the allegations of impropriety in the sand mining contracts.

With a woman constable in Ludhiana committing suicide on June 9 after allegedly being harassed by his colleague, AAP will be demanding that female staff in police should not be given duties during night, said Phoolka, the MLA from Dakha seat.

A discussion and training programme will be held on Monday here in which former minister and party Delhi MLA Sourabh Bhardwaj will train the legislators,” said Phoolka.

“We have also decided to provide each MLA an expert on particular subject matter to assist legislator for participating in the discussion in the House. The person who will be attached with MLA will be an expert in his subject. He will provide facts and figures to the MLA to make their points effectively,” said the leader of Opposition. AMRITSAR: Three persons were killed and four injured as two SUVs collided with each other on the National Highway-1 at Jandiala Guru town, 15km from here, at 3.40pm on Sunday.

Police said a Mahindra XUV 500 (DL8-CAQ-4833) was on its way to Delhi from Amritsar when it collided with a Toyota Fortuner (CH01-AA-1572).

Police said the XUV jumped the road divider after a tyre burst. Those killed have been identified as Kamla Devi, Naveen Malhotra and driver Ritesh Vicky, all residents of Delhi who were travelling in the XUV. The driver of Fortuner has also been injured, said assistant sub-inspector Jaswant Singh.

While Kamla Devi and Vicky died on the spot, Naveen, succumbed to his injuries in a hospital, said the ASI.

Police officials said the occupants of Mahindra SUV were returning after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple as “parshad” was found the woman’s purse.

Acase has been registered and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem.