BUDGET SESSION

Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s budget session on Wednesday turned tumultuous when the state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring was physically carried out by the marshals after he adamantly refused to vacate the House. The action came after the Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan “named” nine Congress MLAs — suspending them for a day — for disrupting the House proceedings. Led by Warring, Congress legislators were seeking time to speak on the discussion on the state’s budgetary proposals — tabled in the House by the Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema a day before.
 
The uproar originated from the principal opposition Congress members’ vehement protests, alleging that the Speaker had unfairly curtailed Warring’s speaking time. Sandhwan’s decision to ‘name’ all Congress MLAs, with the exception of Abohar legislator Sandeep Jakhar, for disrupting proceedings led to a 15-minute adjournment on the third day of the Budget session.
 
The agitation peaked when the Speaker informed Warring that his allocated speaking slot had elapsed, emphasizing that the Congress had been allotted a total of 28 minutes for the discussion. Despite the Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa’s plea for an extension of Warring’s speaking time, Sandhwan rejected the request, triggering heated exchanges between the treasury benches and Congress members, ultimately resulting in the adjournment of proceedings.
 
Despite the Speaker’s directive, the Congress members adamantly refused to vacate their seats. In response to their defiance, the Speaker called upon the ward and watch staff (marshals) to escort the MLAs out of the House.
 
Asserting the necessity of upholding parliamentary decorum, Sandhwan reiterated, “The House will be run in accordance with rules and regulations.” However, as the watch and ward staff attempted to compel the Congress MLAs to leave, Warring took a defiant stance by squatting on the floor within the well of the House.
 
The situation escalated further as efforts to remove the Congress MLAs proved futile, resulting in a physical altercation. Despite the Speaker's orders, Warring and two other Congress MLAs were forcefully dragged out of the House by the watch and ward staff.
 
In defense of his actions, Sandhwan asserted that the Congress had been granted an additional five minutes beyond the stipulated time for the budget discussion.
 
Following ruckus in the House, Warring heavily criticized the move saying that the Congress leaders were “insulted”.
 
“I was only speaking on the budget…I was presenting the data that was against the government and that’s why I was stopped in the middle. Whoever presents data is asked to sit down,” said Warring while speaking with the reporters outside the House.
 
Visibly fumed over the Speaker’s action against him and his party colleagues, the state Congress president said: “Marshals were sent. We were insulted. Some people were laughing at us...We have been elected and we are representing the people...I was just speaking on the Budget. I was not abusing anyone...I did not refer to anyone as “tu”…I was presenting the data and when they thought that the data was against them, they shut down proceedings, mics and cameras...I was given only 2.5 minutes to speak...Whoever presents data is asked to sit down....”
 
Bajwa slams Speaker for suspending nine MLAs

Strongly criticizing the Speaker’s decision to suspend nine MLAs from opposition parties, Bajwa condemned the move as a flagrant violation of democratic principles, accusing the AAP-led Punjab Government of evading legitimate questions raised by the main opposition party — the Congress. He vowed that such undemocratic actions would not be tolerated.
 
Bajwa reminded AAP of its eight pre-poll promises, including pledges to generate Rs 20,000 crore annually from mining, end corruption to yield Rs 34,000 crore, and provide Rs 1,000 per month to women. Pointing out discrepancies, he cited AAP’s promise not to incur any loans, juxtaposed against documents revealing a staggering Rs 60,000 crore loan, even though only two years of their term have passed.
 
The Senior Congress leader lamented the absence of discussions on critical issues such as MSP and the Old Pension Scheme in the budget. He demanded transparency regarding the claimed recruitment of 40,000 employees by the AAP government while also questioning the number of industrial projects brought to the State in the past two years.