Chaos in Punjab House as Cong walks out; Khaira suspended for session

Chandigarh: The Punjab assembly witnessed chaotic scenes on Friday as Congress MLAs demanded chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s resignation, stormed the well of the House and staged a walkout. In response, the House moved and unanimously passed a motion suspending Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira for the remainder of the session for allegedly using objectionable language against the Chair.Wearing black scarves, Congress members arrived intent on cornering the governing party. They produced a flex-printed ‘Laanat Patra’ (letter of condemnation), accusing the govt of mishandling sacrilege cases, patronising drug and mining mafias, shielding gangsters, weakening farmers’ movement and failing to protect agricultural incomes amid rising state debt.Trouble began during Question Hour when leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa demanded Mann’s resignation. Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan asked members to reserve their issues for Zero Hour, but Congress legislators entered the well and exchanged slogans with AAP members.Appealing to the opposition, Sandhwan said the questions listed for the session concerned problems faced by the people of Punjab and urged senior Congress MLAs to set an example for first-time legislators.Amid the din, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema clashed with Khaira and launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing the party of introducing “chitta”, a term commonly used for heroin. The minister also accused the Congress of taking false oaths on the Gutka Sahib, misleading people and doing politics over bodies. Congress MLAs subsequently walked out, with some tearing up and throwing papers towards the Chair.Cheema then moved a resolution to suspend Khaira, alleging that he had used derogatory language that insulted labourers, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The motion was passed unanimously by the members present. He also urged the House to pass a separate resolution condemning the Congress over the alleged remarks.Reacting to his suspension on social media, Khaira said he would continue to raise issues concerning Punjab, slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota and the death of Dalit labourer Gulzar Dirba. He also defended his language.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chandigarh | Silver Rate in Chandigarh | Bank Holidays in Chandigarh | Public Holidays in Chandigarh | Chandigarh AQI | Weather in Chandigarh | Petrol Price in Chandigarh | Diesel Price in Chandigarh | CNG Price in Chandigarh | LPG Price in ChandigarhStay updated with the latest Chandigarh news. Download the TOI App.