SAD, AAP members walk out over employee demands
CHANDIGARH: The opposition SAD and AAP on Wednesday staged a walk out from the assembly over non-fulfilment of government employees’ pending demands and high power tariff rates.
During the zero hour on the third day of the budget session, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislators walked out of the house after the speaker rejected their demand to discuss the alleged “discrimination” being meted out to state government employees.
Once outside, they accused the government of neither implementing the sixth pay commission recommendations nor releasing the pending dearness allowance to government employees.
Aam Aadmi Party legislators also staged a walk out over the issue of high power bills.
The issue was raised by AAP legislator Aman Arora in the assembly but the speaker rejected his demand for taking up a private member bill in this regard.
Talking to reporters, AAP leaders said chief minister Amarinder Singh had promised to review the power purchase agreement signed by the previous SAD-BJP regime in order to make electricity cheaper in the state. But after he came to power, he neither reviewed the PPAs nor did he cancel them, they alleged.
THE OPPOSITION MEMBERS ALSO RAISED THE ISSUE OF HIGH POWER TARIFF AND WHY GOVT DIDN’T CANCEL THE PPAS WITH PRIVATE THERMAL PLANTS
Harpal Cheema raises scholarship issue
Earlier, AAP MLA Harpal Singh Cheema raised the issue of post matric Scheduled Caste scholarship, accusing the state government of not submitting its utilisation certificates to the Centre. He said he received the information from the Centre after filing an RTI.
Cheema also raised the issue of sale of wood at a village in Anandpur Sahib at a price ₹40 lakh lower than the actual value .
Congress legislator Harminder Singh Gill and SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia engaged in a verbal duel after the former sought an apology from the Akali leader for using some objectionable remark against him on Tuesday.
Rebel AAP legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira attacked the AAP and SAD leaders, accusing them of levelling maliciously false allegations against him.
On Tuesday, the SAD and the AAP had asked the assembly speaker to take action under the anti-defection law against those MLAs who had switched sides. Khaira said they were seeking “selective” disqualification.
The AAP had written in January 2019 to the speaker for Khaira’s disqualification under the 10th schedule of the Constitution for quitting the party and floating his own political outfit.
The Bholath MLA had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from his new party.