CHANDIGARH: After walking out of the Punjab Assembly, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Monday strongly condemned the Assembly Speaker, Kultar Singh Sandhwan's extremely biased and dictatorial behaviour.
"The Speaker must bear in mind that he is a custodian of the assembly, not the owner and all the MLAs should be treated equally by the Speaker. However, the way the Speaker behaved today, is highly undemocratic. He must mend his discriminatory conduct in the assembly. The voice of the opposition MLAs, particularly those belonging to the Punjab Congress cannot be stifled by such unjust manners, " Bajwa added.
Whenever Sukhpal Singh Khaira raised his hand to seek time to speak, the Speaker snubbed his request, which is highly deplorable. In a statement, Bajwa said that the entire Punjab Congress stands firm with Congress MLAs Pargat Singh and Sukhpal Singh Khaira.
"I would conclude here that the AAP's time has got over now. It has been gagging the voices of the press and the opposition leaders for the past three years. The people of Punjab have seen the real face of the non-performing, anti-farmers and anti-Punjab AAP government. The people of Punjab will teach them the lesson, " Bajwa said.
While speaking in the house, Bajwa slammed Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's hypocrisy. On the one hand, he paid tribute to Sardar Bhagat Singh during his martyrdom day and laid a foundation stone for a hospital yesterday, and the police under him mercilessly beat the unemployed youths in Sangrur on the other hand.
"Arresting the farm union leaders on the pretext of a meeting has never happened in the history of independent Punjab. This is not the tradition of Punjab. Meanwhile, the government not only dismantled the temporary settlement of farmers at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, but their tractors, trolleys, and other valuable stuff were also stolen, " Bajwa said while condemning the AAP government for its anti-farmer stance.
Bajwa said that a Sikh colonel's turban was removed in a Sikh-majority state under the AAP government. The incumbent Punjab government has clearly steered away from the motto "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan.