Farmers Movement Archive

Speaker suspends 10 SAD MLAs as disruptions mar Punjab CM’s speech

CHANDIGARH: Ten MLAs of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) were on Friday suspended for the rest of the budget session of the Punjab assembly for disrupting the proceedings of the House during Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh’s speech on the governor’s address. Marshals evicted the suspended MLAs from the House after Speaker Rana KP Singh named and suspended them. Before that, he had to adjourn the House twice. The unruly scenes began soon after the chief minister began with his speech. AAP MLAs were the first to come to the well of the House and raise slogans, wanting time to raise the issue of alleged transport mafia in Sunam. A group of Congress MLAs, including Navtej Singh Cheema and Kulbir Singh Zira, surrounded the chief minister as the AAP MLAs continued to protest. On the speaker’s insistence, the AAP MLAs finally returned to their seats. However, when Amarinder referred to the Congress’ win in the recent polls, SAD MLAs got up from their seats, referring to three FIRs lodged during the polls. They too came to the well of the House. AAP MLAs too joined the protest against CM’s claims of fulfilled promises. The united opposition continued to raise slogans. There was pandemonium in the House as a group of Congress MLAs too tried to take on the united opposition by SAD and AAP. They mocked the AAP leaders for joining hands with Akalis, besides calling them “Team B of BJP”. The speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes as there was no sign of the opposition settling down to let the CM resume his speech. When the House resumed, SAD MLAs again began protesting, this time on the issue of power tariff and trooped to the well of the House to shout slogans. The SAD MLAs demanded a clarification from the government on the power issue as SAD MLA N K Sharma alleged that during Covid period, traders were given power bills on average. However, the speaker told the protesting SAD legislators that they had raised an issue and they did not have to disrupt the House. “What message do you want to give to the world... that you won’t allow the House to function? Listen to the CM, there cannot be a clarification on every issue,” the speaker said. However, the SAD staged a walk-out. Amarinder resumed his speech with the issue of the farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s farm laws. SAD MLAs returned when the CM referred to SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s old video on social media supporting the farm ordinances. SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia retorted, “The facts will not change if the CM wants to mislead. Where were Sonia and Rahul Gandhi where there was voting on the farm bills?” There were heated exchanges between SAD and Congress MLAs and SAD leaders again came to the well of the House. The Congress MLAs too flashed placards with pictures of gangsters. Before suspending the SAD MLAs, the speaker also took note of Congress MLAs who had come forward. Navtej Cheema was flashing Sukhbir Singh Badal’s letter to the CM where he had allegedly supported the farm ordinances. When the House was adjourned for the second time, the SAD MLAs sat on the floor as the marshals requested them to leave the House. After some resistance, they were escorted out by the marshals. However, one of the SAD MLAs Pawan Kumar Tinu made a futile attempt to come back to the House. An official of the Punjab Assembly confirmed that ten SAD MLAs had been named and suspended.

The Times of India

2021-03-06

Chandigarh