Days after slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s parents staged a dharna outside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha demanding justice in their son’s murder case, the issue reverberated inside the House on the fourth day of the ongoing budget session on Thursday.
As the treasury and opposition benches engaged in a fierce war of words against each other, the members of the principal opposition Congress party staged a walkout over the issue. The Congress legislators accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led State Government of publicizing information regarding pruning Sidhu Moosewala’s security cover on social media which was the direct reason behind his broad daylight murder.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Congress MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira reminded the treasury benches that Sidhu Moosewala’s parents — Balkaur Singh and Charan Kaur — had staged a dharna outside the House, demanding action against the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s media advisor Baltej Pannu for allegedly sharing information about the withdrawal of security cover of several people, including Sidhu Moosewala, on social media, a day before the singer’s murder.
“Sharing information about the security pruning of Moosewala was the direct reason behind the singer’s murder…it has been revealed in the investigations that the shooters took advantage of the same,” said Khaira, while name Pannu, and another AAP member Ayushi Saraswat, responsible for handling media.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa also demanded action against those who shared details of VIPs whose security had been withdrawn on social media the previous, including that of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
Intervening, Cabinet Minister Aman Arora informed the House that the police booked 40 persons in connection with the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, of which 29 had been arrested while two were killed in an encounter.
“The process of extraditing Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, the alleged mastermind behind the murder is going on…Two charge sheets have been filed in the matter,” said Arora, adding, “Giving or withdrawal of security cover comes out in public domain and it is not a rocket science.”
Arora’s statement irate the Congress MLAs, following which heated exchange were witnessed between the members of treasury benches and opposition.
Accusing the Congress MLAs of misguiding the people of the state, Arora said: “Moosewala’s security was only partially withdrawn….He did not take his remaining two gunmen and his bullet proof vehicle along with him on that day.”
Once again raising the law and order issue in the ongoing budget session, Punjab Congress president and Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said that Sidhu Moosewala’s parents were demanding justice in the murder case of their son.
“Moosewala’s parents were sitting on dharna outside the assembly demanding justice. Even though the Punjab Police have arrested many accused in the case, but I want to ask why the Government is not arresting the gangsters and accused whose names were pointed by his parents,” asked Warring.
On this, the Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that he had met Sidhu Moosewala’s father and the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann would also meet him. We have assured him that he would get justice, said Dhaliwal, following which he engaged into fiery war of words with Warring.
Dhaliwal accused the Congress and Akalis of playing politics on the “thousands of bodies” after 1980s. “Congress and the Akalis had played politics on the corpses of youngsters when they were in power,” said Dhaliwa — prompting the Congress legislators to protest against the Minister.
Complete pandemonium prevailed with the Congress MLAs trooping into the well of the House, raising slogans against the AAP government. The treasury benches, led by Dhaliwal, also raised slogans against the Congress MLAs. The repeated pleas by the Speaker Kulattr Singh Sandhwan feel on deaf ears. After a brief protest, the Congress MLAs, led by Congress legislature party leader Bajwa, staged a walk out.
