Mock session: ‘Mafia has replaced mafia’

CHANDIGARH: After their ruckus over the alleged scam in sand mine auction led to adjournment of the Vidhan Sabha for the day, MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Lok Insaaf Party held a mock session in the lobby of the assembly on Thursday.

Moving an “adjournment motion”, the original version of which was rejected by the speaker in the House, AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the Congress had promised to waive the entire debt of farmers, but had changed its stand on coming to power and was now thinking of giving the benefit to only a section.

“At the very onset, the government got embroiled into the sand mining auction scandal, with the name of irrigation and power minister Rana Gurjit Singh figuring at the top,” he said. “For 10 years, Punjab had a mafia government under the Badals, and now there’s Congress-run mafia.”

Khaira demanded an inquiry into the mining auction by a sitting judge of the high court. Rejecting the probe panel constituted by the government, Phoolka too demanded an inquiry by a sitting judge. “Speaker” Balwinder Singh Bains “accepted the motion” and “ordered” the inquiry.

The MLAs sat on the floor and the “speaker” on a sofa. AAP leader HS Phoolka said, “Ours is the real assembly session. The one inside was mock!”

AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu too said, “People of Punjab voted for change, but they found that one mafia has taken over from the previous one.” He suggested cancellation of the mining actions of last month and handing over the business of liquor and sand to government corporations.

For 10 years, Punjab had a mafia government under the Badals, and now there’s Congressrun mafia. SUKHPAL KHAIRA, AAM MLA