Officials skip meet, Bajwa alleges breach of privilege

AMRITSAR: Partap Singh Bajwa, leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly, on Thursday wrote to speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, seeking proceedings for breach of privilege against Gurdaspur district officials for skipping a meeting called by him to review development works in his constituency. Bajwa is the Congress MLA from Qadian in Gurdaspur.

Bajwa, addressing the media in Gurdaspur, said that he had called a meeting of the district level officers of the rural development and panchayat department as well as public works department on May 4 at the office of the block development and panchayat officer, Dhariwal, in Gurdaspur.

“A notice dated April 28 was also issued by my office... My special assistant against requested the officers concerned via Whatsapp to immediately rush for the meeting,” he said, adding that none of the officers, except Harjot Singh, executive engineer, public works department, arrived.

“Keeping in view the above facts, it is clear that the abovementioned conduct of the officers has impaired my working as a representative of the people, particularly, as leader of the opposition and thereby caused a breach of my privilege. Therefore, I request you kindly to refer the matter to the Privilege Committee,” he wrote in the letter to the speaker.