Chandigarh, Dec 30 (PTI) Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday after Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa sought to know which party rebel Akali MLA Sukwinder Kumar Sukhi belonged to.
During the discussion on the resolution against the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB-G RAM G) in the House, when rebel Akali legislator Sukhi rose to speak, Bajwa interrupted him, asking Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Rouri to clear the status of his membership.
“Please make it clear which party he belongs to. He is the chairman (of a government board) and also a member of the Akali Dal,” said Bajwa.
The deputy speaker asked Bajwa to let Sukhi speak as the issue on which the resolution came was more important.
However, Bajwa persisted with his demand to know the party of Sukhi.
AAP MLA and cabinet minister Aman Arora got up and told Bajwa that Sukhi holds the same status as rebel Congress MLA Sandeep Jakhar.
Arora also said that Sukhi was with the AAP now.
When Bajwa did not budge, AAP MLAs including Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema attacked the Congress MLA for not allowing an MLA to speak about Dalits and their rights.
Taking a jibe at Congress leaders, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said leaders like Sukhi speak for the welfare of the people whereas the Congress leaders are just concerned about their vested interests.
“Rather than stooping low in politics, entire Punjab should join hands to vehemently oppose this anti-poor move of the Union government,” he added.
Two-time Akali MLA from Banga seat, Sukhi joined AAP in August last year. He is also facing a disqualification plea for defecting from SAD to AAP. AAP appointed Sukhi as chairman of the Punjab State Container and Warehousing Corporation in the cabinet rank.
The AAP government in Punjab had called for a special session of the Assembly on Tuesday to oppose the new VB-G RAM G Act passed during the recently concluded Winter session of Parliament by repealing the UPA-era MGNREGA.
Earlier, AAP MLAs brought letters written by MGNREGA workers detailing their pain and daily struggles in the state Assembly, said a party statement.
Around 10 lakh letters have been written and the Punjab government has resolved to take these letters directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the objective of placing before the Centre the real conditions faced by workers and pressing for swift resolution of their problems, it said. PTI CHS KSS KSS
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