AAP MLAs create chaos in Assembly, demand CBI probe in audio clip scam

Ruchika M Khanna and Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 28

The Punjab Assembly session began on Tuesday amid acrimonious scenes by AAP MLAs who demanded a CBI inquiry into the audio clip scandal.

They were carrying photographs of Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia with a drug case accused, Bittu Aulakh.

Raising the slogans, the MLAs entered the Well of the House and refused to let Question Hour begin.

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Meanwhile, Akali-BJP MLAs changed their strategy on the second day of the session. They did not attack Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira, and intended to take on the government on farmer issues like debt waiver.

The MLAs were wearing badges that read anti-Congress slogans.

Congress MLAs, including ministers Navjot Sidhu and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder singh were all smiles as Akalis and AAP MLAs raised slogans against one another.

Former CM Parkash Singh Badal and former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal were present in the House.

Later, Question Hour resumed even as AAP and Akali-BJP MLAs continued to raise slogans against one another.

Akali-BJP MLAs also raised slogans against the Congress government, demanding that the government honour its commitment on the farm loan waiver.

They carried photographs of Congress MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon with UP strongman Raja Bhaiya. They also raised slogans against the “deteriorating law and order situation” in the state.

Akali-BJP MLAs also stormed the Well of the House.

Akali-BJP and AAP MLAs came face to face as a heated argument between the two ensued. Watch and ward staff was on the alert as the two sides turned aggressive.

The House was adjourned for half an hour.

Zero Hour began amid pandemonium in the House. Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Khaira demanded a CBI probe against the audio clip scam. He reiterated that this was done at the behest of his political rivals.

AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu demanded that the report of the SIT constituted by the police earlier on the drug issue be made public. He demanded that the names of all political people named in the SIT report be revealed.

Former Leader of Opposition HS Phoolka also made an appearance in the House.

Later, former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal left the House.

Reacting to the standoff, Capt Amarinder Singh said, “AAP and Akalis have turned the Vidhan Sabha into an ‘akhaara’ for their personal Majithia vs Khaira fight. Each day of the session costs Rs 70 lakh. They are wasting the public money.”

Khaira took up the Punjabi language issue during the call attention but himself chose to speak in English. Health Minister Brahm Mohindra pointed out the irony to Khaira.

Khaira demanded that the case against gangster Lakha Sidhana be withdrawn. Sidhana had led the movement of blackening signboards. Replying to this, Brahm Mohindra said they would look into the cases and decide on merit.

Khaira waved The Tribune newspaper in the House highlighting the expose made by the paper on illegal sand mining, allegedly by Congress men.

AAP MLAs staged a walkout over the short session and the party’s demand for a longer session being ignored. They demanded that the session should be for a week at least.

Meanwhile, the interim report on the farm suicides was tabled. Bill on declaring the assets of all MLAs and ministers, called the Punjab Legislative Assembly (Salaries and Allowances) Amendment Bill, was also tabled.

AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu said he appreciated the move, but the conflict of interest bill too should have been tabled. This was necessary as many MLAs and ministers had mining and transport businesses, he said. He also raised the demand for the lokpal bill.

As Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra introduced the Indian Stamp (Punjab Amendment) Bill, Phoolka objected to the bills being given to them only in the House, giving them no time to read them and debate on them.

Speaker Rana KP asked Mohindra to submit the bills in time in future.