CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislatures, led by Leader of Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema and senior leader Aman Arora, staged a walk-out on the second day of the ongoing Monsoon Assembly Session, on the issue of expensive power, inconclusive investigations held into the desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and tabling a bill at the spur of moment making a clear departure from the norms in place, raising slogans against both the government and the Speaker to express their resentment.
Addressing media persons after the walk-out, Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora said, in a joint statement, that Captain Amarinder Singh government had miserably failed on all fronts since it had reneged on all the poll promises during its two and a half years’ tenure.
On the occasion, Aman Arora said that it was unfortunate that nothing had come out of the series of investigations into the incident of sacrilege held during the past four years under the Special Investigating Team (SIT), Justice Ranjit Singh Commission and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), demanding a white paper on the issue, besides a two-day special session for an open debate on the issue.
Arora informed that they had brought a motion on the issue of high power tariff owing to the anti-state power purchase agreements (PPAs) burning holes in everybody’s pocket, which was turned down by the speaker, triggering a walk-out.
Speaking on the tabling of a bill at the spur of the moment, the AAP leaders said that under the Introduction and Publication of Bills 115, a 15-day notice was mandatory to enable the members to do spade work to hold debate on any proposed bill, saying that the bill tabled without the knowledge of the members, who described the move as denigrating the honour of the elected members and a reason to stage a walk-out.
Replying to the question from the miffed members, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Brahm Mohindra, first informed the House that the draft bill was duly sent to the members a day before, only to maneuvering a U-turn, saying that the bureaucracy was responsible for the mess, assuring the House that due care would be taken in the future.
Those who participated in the walk-out included besides Harpal Cheema, Aman Arora, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Bibi Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, Prof Baljinder Kaur, Rupinder Kaur Ruby, Jai Krishan Singh Rori, Principal Budh Ram, Meet Hayer and Kulwant Singh Pandori.