Din in House over DGP’S Kartarpur remark
AAP, SAD-BJP raise slogans seeking police chief’s dismissal; speaker orders eviction after requests to maintain decorum go unheard
CHANDIGARH : The controversial remarks by director general of police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta on the Kartarpur Corridor rocked the Punjab assembly on Monday, with members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal-bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) combine demanding his immediate dismissal.
The opposition AAP and SADBJP members spent most part of the day’s proceedings raising slogans against the DGP in the well of the House. As ruckus continued unabated, speaker Rana KP Singh ‘named’ most of the opposition members and ordered their eviction from the House at one stage. The disruptions forced three adjournments before the speaker adjourned the House before time on the second day of the budget session. The opposition members also wanted a statement from chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh. However, he did not attend the House proceedings.
The DGP, in a statement that appeared in a section of the media three days ago, had questioned Pakistan’s intent in agreeing to throw open the Kartarpur Corridor. He had also stated that the visa-free passage for Sikh pilgrims was a huge security challenge from terrorism point of view. Though Gupta on Sunday night expressed his “sincere regret” if any remark made by him inadvertently caused any hurt to people of the state, it failed to pacify the opposition members.
MINISTER ASHU UNDER FIRE
Besides seeking his removal, they were also demanding dismissal of food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in view of allegations levelled by a suspended police officer that he had harboured two Khalistani militants 28 years ago.
Before the day’s proceedings started, legislators of AAP and SAD-BJP combine staged separate protests outside the assembly, holding placards to demand action against Gupta and Ashu. Immediately after the House convened at 2pm, they were up on their feet and rushed to the well, raising anti-government slogans. The speaker urged the members to go to their seats and let the Question Hour commence, but they did not pay heed and continued sloganeering to press their demands for dismissal of the DGP and the minister.
When parliamentary affairs minister Brahm Mohindra’s offer to have a discussion on the issue did not work, Congress MLAS also started raising slogans. However, most of their slogans were lost in the din. Chaos reigned for some time before the speaker adjourned the House for 30 minutes. When the members reassembled, AAP legislators again rushed to the well of the House. Rana KP Singh urged the members to let the House function.
“Leader of House (Amarinder) is not present. He is also the home minister. He will be requested to give a statement tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.
‘DOES GOVT WANT CORRIDOR CLOSED’
SAD legislature party leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon asked the government if they wanted to close the Kartarpur Corridor. As the Akali MLAS went to the well of the House, he said the statement made by the DGP was not a small thing and blamed a top Congress family for the remarks. Though the speaker expunged the reference, infuriated Congress members started shouting slogans against the Akalis, leading to another adjournment for 30 minutes. Leader of Opposition
Harpal Singh Cheema also condemned the DGP’S remarks, asking if all the ministers, MLAS, MPS, officers and others who travelled to Kartarpur had become terrorists.
Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu also said that Gupta’s statement hurt the Sikh sentiments. During the discussion on the governor’s address, the speaker later named Cheema and all other MLAS of AAP, SAD and BJP and ordered the marshals to evict them after he was informed that the mikes of reporters (who write down the proceedings) of the assembly were forcibly switched off by the protesting members. It occurred when reporters were surrounded by MLAS of opposition parties and their mikes stopped working.
FURORE OVER SWITCHING OFF MIKES
AAP MLAS Jagdev Singh Kamalu, Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu who were on their seats were not named. By then MLA Nazar Singh Manshahia had left the House. “Damaging assembly apparatus is not acceptable, “Rana KP told the opposition and at the same time ordered House adjournment for 15 minutes, at 5:18pm, directing the marshals that “these (opposition) MLAS should not be in when the House resumes”.
When the House was adjourned, marshals tried to evict two MLAS of AAP, to which SAD’S Bikram Singh Majithia intervened, clarifying that forcible eviction cannot take place at a time when House was adjourned. When the House resumed, cabinet ministers Charanjeet Channi and Brahm Mohindra requested the speaker to forgive them with a warning. “Still one hour of the House proceeding remains, so let us continue with the debate on governor’s address,” said Channi.
Earlier, the opposition MLAS tried to barge through the cordon formed by marshals around the speaker’s chamber. SAD MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu was seen stuck in the legs of the marshals when he unsuccessfully tried to break the cordon. Other MLAS who jostled with marshals included AAP’S Cheema, Rupinder Kaur, Baljinder Kaur, Jai Kishan Rori, Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Sarvjit Kaur Manuke. Before orders by speaker for evicting the opposition MLAS, cabinet ministers and MLAS on the treasury benches raised slogans against the opposition MLAS. Ruling party MLA Kulbir Singh Zira started sloganeering against the opposition and was also joined by ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Sunder Sham Arora.