Khaira demands unconditional apology from CM over Sadique row

KAPURTHALA: Former Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira has demanded an unconditional apology from CM Punjab Parkash Singh Badal for humiliating Congress MLA Mohammad Sadique on the floor of Assembly.

“Badal first prompted and allured Mohammad Sadique into singing and then humiliated him by his sarcasm,” he said adding that, “It is unfortunate that an august platform like the Vidhan Sabha has been misused by none less than an octogenarian CM for instigating representatives to sing songs. Being a first-timer MLA Sadique got trapped to the wily machinations of Badal and sang a patriotic song.”

Thereafter, the sarcastic remarks of the CM urging to bring a band also was like further rubbing salt on the wounds, he said.

“The Vidhan Sabha is supposed to legislate, discuss, debate and form policies for the betterment of the state. Badal, with five decades of experience in public life, should not have denigrated the Vidhan Sabha. Badal’s attitude smacks of arrogance and and feudalism. He had humiliated a ‘dalit’ MLA.”

“The fact that speaker CS Atwal became a party to the insult of a fellow ‘dalit’ is even more unfortunate. We demand an unconditional apology from the CM and the speaker for insulting, humiliating and injuring the prestige of not only an elected ‘dalit’ representative but for also making mockery of a valuable institution like the Vidhan Sabha.”