Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday virtually turned into a playfield for the Congress MLAs to score goals against their own team.

As the growing resentment within the Congress cadres regarding non-fulfillment of the key poll promises is not unknown, the party legislators minced no words to take on their own Government head on in the House.

While the State Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa openly admitted the Government and Punjab Police’s “weakness” for not putting SAD MLA Bikram Majithja behind bars, senior leader Surjit Singh Dhiman highlighted the large scale corruption in Government offices.

That is not all! Congress firebrand MLA Amarinder Singh Raja Warring showed the mirror to the State Government by asking the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to soon control transport and sand mafia as no Budget will help the Congress in the next elections if these promises are not fulfilled.

Warring, the two-time MLA from Gidderbaha, pointed that the Congress MLAs have to face embarrassment and humiliation when the people ask them why the Congress had not ended the liquor, transport, and sand mafia in the State.

“I request the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister with folded hands to please implement the transport policy at the earliest as the Government is on back foot on this issue. Every day someone from this side (treasury benches) or from that side (from opposition) stands up and raises the issue…this mafia should come to an end,” said Warring adding that at least 200 buses should have been announced to check the mafia.

“Kindly fulfill your commitment of giving 5000 licences to the young people to run their own buses under ‘Yaari Enterprises’ announced in the first budget,” he said in the Capt Amarinder’s presence.

Participating in the debate on Budget proposals for 2020-21, Warring pointed out at the Rs 600 less excise collections in Punjab while demanding to fix the responsibility of officers for the same. “We are being questioned on why the liquor is most expensive in Punjab, but excise collections are less. It is because the officers appointed by the Government are not accountable.

I have learnt that distilleries in the State are only selling eight trucks without paying taxes, for every two trucks that tax is paid. This is because the officers here do nothing,” he said, amidst approval by the MLAs from both sides.

Taking up the issue of trauma centre for Gidderbaha, announced in the previous Budget, Warring said that the project is yet to see the light of the day as the officers are not doing the work even after the Minister (Balbir Singh) Sidhu’s numerous directions. “Isn’t it the Chief Secretary’s responsibility to check. But the Chief Secretary do nothing other than raising objection on all files,” he said in an emotionally-charged speech.

Recommending that the Government should allow “open mining”, Warring alleged that people in Punjab are talking about a Rajasthan-based sand contractor, referring to him as “Chandak daku”, who now controls the sand mining business.

“You are the ‘Babbar sher’ of Punjab. I urge you to act against all the mafias as this is a huge embarrassment for the Government,” said Warring amidst the thumping of benches, not only by several Congress MLAs, but also by the entire Opposition.

Concluding his speech, Warring underlined that in case the Government did not check these mafias before the 2022 elections, “gal nai banani chaahe jo marzi Budget le aao…”(It would not help no matter what kind of budget you propose).

Earlier during the zero hour when SAD MLA Bikram Majithia blamed Randhawa for patronizing gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, lodged in State’s jail, Randhawa made no bones while saying that it was the “weakness of our own Government”, and that of Punjab Police that people like Majithia were not put behind bars.

Earlier, Congress MLA Surjit Singh Dhiman also highlighted the large scale corruption in the Government offices, while demanding the Government to look into this immediately. “The policies are not being framed in accordance with the party’s pre-poll promises,” he added.