CHANDIGARH: Strongly criticizing the efforts of the Congress party to obstruct the speech of the Governor of Punjab Mr. Banwari Lal Purohit during the beginning of the budget session in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha today, the Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Congress party has insulted the August House. He said that during his speech, the Governor of Punjab mentioned the achievements of the state government, and the Congress party was worried that the information about these achievements should not reach the people through the live broadcast of the proceedings of the House.
Addressing the media in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that in the interest of the people of Punjab, the Congress party should have listened carefully to the speech of the Governor Mr. Banwari Lal Purohit, and can question the government besides giving its suggestions during debate on this speech on March 4. He said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab government always welcomes positive suggestions.
Slamming the Congress party for insulting the House just for cheap fame, the Finance Minister said that as per the long-standing traditions and norms, the proceedings of the budget session always begin with the speech of the Governor of the state. He said that after this, tributes are paid to eminent personalities who have passed away recently. He said that tributes were also to be paid to farmer Shubhakaran Singh, who was killed during the farmers' struggle at Khanauri. He said that once this Congress party used to stay awake at night in this assembly protesting for longer sessions to debate on public issues, but today it insulted democracy only for cheap publicity.
Referring to the farmers' struggle against the three farm laws, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema questioned the Congress party whether the then Chief Minister of the Congress party government, Capt. Amarinder Singh, who has now defected to the BJP, ever wrote any letter to the union government in favour of the farmers. He said that when the policy was being drafted about these black laws, the then Finance Minister of Punjab supported the three black laws made by the BJP while attending the NITI Aayog meeting on behalf of the then Chief Minister of the state. He said that on the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party and its Delhi government stood strongly with the farmers during the struggle.
Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann was with the farmers before, now and will be with the Anndata in the future too. He said that as soon as the Chief Minister got the information about the unfortunate incident, he had announced an aid of Rs. 1 crore to help the family of Shubhakaran Singh besides extending all possible help to his sisters in the future as well. He said that the incident is being investigated, and strict action will be taken against those found guilty as per law.
The Finance Minister reiterated that the Congress party obstructed the speech of the Punjab Governor only because he was mentioning the state government’s achievements like the new sports policy, jobs for sportspersons, efforts made to promote sports, Purchase of G.V.K. Thermal plant, setting up Schools of Eminence under Shiksha Kranti, treatment of more than 1 crore people through Aam Aadmi clinics, providing 300 units of free electricity to domestic consumers every month, fixing the salary of Rs 25000 for the 12000 teachers who were earlier working on temporary basis at meagre salaries, reverse migration, more than 42000 government jobs to youth, delivery of water at tail ends for irrigation, etc. He said that the Congress does not have a single achievement in its last five years of office to count, so it could not tolerate the achievements of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's government.