Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday witnessed what it has not seen in the recent history. The House was adjourned in between the Finance Minister’s budget speech.
A complete pandemonium prevailed in the House when the Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and his arch rival SAD MLA Bikram Majithia entered into a slanging match at the time the Finance Minister Manpreet Badal was presenting the budget estimates for 2019-20.
Manpreet’s budget speech was interrupted by the Speaker Rana KP Singh in the wake of continuous sloganeering by the SAD-BJP MLAs protesting in the well of the House against
Sidhu’s “pro-Pak” remarks after Pulwama terror attack, standing close to Manpreet’s seat.
“It was sheer violation of House rules. They were standing just ahead the Manpreet’s seat, close to his mic.
In fact, their voice was more audible than that of the Finance Minister. They were not supposed to be there. It is a matter of privilege,” a Congress MLA, on the basis of anonymity, told The Pioneer.
Congress MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra maintained that never in the recallable history had the Finance Minister’s speech was interrupted the way it was done today.
Agreeing, a veteran journalist maintained, “I have covered assembly session in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal. Never ever the house was adjourned in the middle of the budget speech. This is happening for the first time.”
RANDHAWA, SIDHU EMBARRASS CAPT
After the House was adjourned, the visibly irate Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa expressed anger over his government's “inability” to “nail down” Majithia despite having ample proof.
Sidhu, who had lost his cool during verbal spat with Majithia, told the Chief Minister that they should be “ashamed that we are not taking any action against Majithia” — virtually knocking Capt Amarinder for a six.
Capt Amarinder was looking at Randhawa and Sidhu in surprise, and then turn on the other side. As Congress MLA Parminder Pinki tried to calm him down, Sidhu pushed him away.
The Congress leaders’ anger against their own “government’s inability” to nail down Akalis was supported by the Aam Aadmi Party and Lok Insaaf Party MLAs.
