AAP, SAD compete to corner Capt govt
Oppn targets it over delay in post-matric scholarships, anomalies in Mohali land auction, and UP gangster-turnedpolitician Ansari’s custody
CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) vied with each other in the state assembly on Wednesday to corner the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government.
The two parties, which are jockeying to dominate the opposition space ahead of next year’s assembly polls, went after the state government from the word go, targeting it over the delay in post-matric scholarships for SC students, irregularities in Mohali land auction, and, last but not least, Uttar Pradesh gangsterturned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s custody.
The SAD and AAP legislators then staged walkouts from the House in quick succession over the delay in the implementation of pay commission and release of dearness allowance instalments, and scrapping of power purchase agreements with private power plants, respectively.
As soon as the question hour got over, leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema, SAD legislator Bikram Singh Majithia and several other MLAS of the 2 opposition parties were up on their feet to draw speaker Rana KP Singh’s attention for time to speak during the zero hour. The speaker allowed Cheema first, who began by blaming the government for suffering of lakhs of
students due to its failure to release funds under the scholarship scheme. Citing a reply he received from the Union government under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Cheema accused the government of diverting the scheme funds and not submitting utilisation certificates to the central ministry.
Majithia, who was the next to speak, tore into the Congress government over custody of Ansari, who is facing trial in UP in several criminal cases. Accusing the Punjab government of shamelessly shielding the gangster-turned-politician, the Akali leader demanded a CBI probe. He said when the state government did not have money to implement the pay commission and release dearness and other allowances of its employees, it was wasting money. But his remarks on the government’s efforts in the court in this matter were expunged by the speaker.
A BSP MLA from Mau, Ansari, is wanted in UP for trial in 14 cases on charges of murder, extortion, etc. He is lodged since January 2019 in a jail in Punjab where he was named in an extortion case by a builder.
Then, the SAD members asked for a discussion on the 6th State Pay Commission and the state government’s reluctance to give Punjab scales to its employees, but were not given time. The members responded by entering the well of the House, raising slogans against the state government. They continued raising slogans for 6 minutes before staging walkout. Within minutes, slogan-shouting AAP MLAS were also in the well of the House gainst the high power rates in Punjab, repeated tariff hikes, etc.