M A I N   N E W S

21 Oppn MLAs suspended
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, march 13
The Punjab Vidhan Sabha today created history of sorts when a resolution was moved to “suspend” 21 MLAs for the remaining part of the Budget session. The suspended MLAs comprise 13 Congressmen, one each of the BSP and the SAD (Amritsar), two of the CPI and four “unattached” Akali members, who otherwise owe allegiance to the breakaway faction of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra.

This action came at the end of one hour and 15 minutes of staggered adjournment of the House by the Speaker, Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal. The House had been a witness to unprecedented uproar since March 5 over the issue of “discrimination” by the government against MLAs belonging to the Opposition in terms of release of grants for development and extending to them the respect due to elected representatives. The Opposition has been charging since March 5 that those who had been either defeated or had no political locus standi were being preferred at official functions and even their names were engraved on foundation stones.

This issue of “discrimination” today eventually snowballed into suspensions that came at the end of full one hour of fruitless discussion that was kick-started during zero hour immediately after the usual question hour by the Congress MLA, Mr Harminder Singh Jassi.

He created a stir in the Treasury benches when he flourished official communications issued from the office of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda to prove how Opposition MLAs’ constituencies were being ignored and injustice done to them.

The House proceedings remained stalled despite repeated efforts by the Speaker to get on with the business and calling upon Mrs Lakshmi Kanta Chawla (BJP) to present her call-attention motion. Every time she tried to read it out the Opposition MLAs would stand up and obstruct her from speaking.

Members of the Treasury Benches and the Opposition continued to engage themselves in cross-talk and direct exchange of words and on occasions the members did not even heed the Speaker’s calls to them to resume their seats. Often microphones were switched off and comments being made by members were expunged or not recorded.

In fact, the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, as Leader of the House, stood up several times to intervene and assuage the ruffled feelings of the Opposition, but all attempts by him proved futile. He time and again gave an assurance that he had deep respect for every member and every constituency was dear to him and there was no discrimination in any manner. He offered to listen to their suggestions and recommendations and make amends, if need be.

But the Opposition rejected out of hand his comments and offers and wanted some concrete assurances. Their main plank was that Mr Badal should commit himself on the floor of the House that in respect of grants and taking up of development works and showing due respect and courtesy to MLAs, the Opposition MLAs would get the same treatment as was extended to the MLAs of the ruling parties.

In fact, an evasive Mr Badal and an adamant Opposition, with its Leader, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh dismissing the remarks of the Leader of the House as eyewash and charging him with double-speak showed he was not convinced. Eventually, as the turmoil and heated discussions continued, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Mannmohan Mittal, moved a resolution recommending suspension for the rest of the Budget session of 21 MLAs for obstructing the proceedings and showing disrespect to the House. The Speaker stood up to put it to vote and it was carried by voice vote amidst slogan shouting and loud protests by the Opposition.

The Congress MLAs suspended are, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Mr Avtar Singh Brar, Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Dr Harbans Lal, Mr R.C. Dogra, Mr Gurcharan Singh Dirba, Mr Harmohinder Singh Pradhan, Mr Amrik Singh Dhillon, Mr Rakesh Pandey, Mr Tej Parkash Singh, Mr Harminder Singh Jassi, Mr Amarjit Singh Samra and Mr Kanwaljit Singh Lali.The CPI MLAs suspended are, Mr Hardev Singh Arshi and Mr Ajaib Singh Raunta; the SAD (Amritsar) MLA is Mr Ajit Inder Singh Moffar; and the BSP member, Mr Shingara Ram Sahungra.

The “unattached” Akalis are, Mr Inderjit Singh Zira, Mr Baldev Singh Khiala, Mr Hira Singh Gabria and Mr Jagtar Singh Rajla.Later, Mrs Bhattal and Mr Arshi told mediapersons in the lobby that democracy had been “murdered” in Punjab where the Assembly was “defunct”. The Opposition MLAs, however, will visit the Vidhan Sa bha daily and hold parallel sittings in the lobby. Some Akalis are expected to join them. Mr Avtar Singh Brar and Mrs Bhattal said that the Akalis and the Speaker failed to protect the rights of the Opposition MLAs and democracy had been strangled in the House where even the people’s voice could not be raised.

On his part, Mr Badal repeatedly told the House that democracy was not confined or pertained to only what the Opposition was saying in defence of its allegation of discrimination. He wondered where the spirit of democracy was when the Congress put political leaders in jail, clamped Emergency and scuttled the freedom of the Press. He appealed again and again to let the business of the House be conducted in the interest of democracy, the state and the people. The Opposition drilled holes in his statements and rejected his assurances.

The din created by the MLAs from both sides, the Treasury Benches and the Opposition, drowned even the saner, sober voices of some of the members and at times nothing was audible in the Press Gallery. In fact, the House was adjourned for 30 minutes at the first instance when the Opposition marched into the well of the House and again for 30 minutes when it reassembled.

Then the Deputy Speaker, Mr Satpal Gosain, came in and further adjourned the House for 15 minutes. Owing to the stalling of the House proceedings since March 5, the discussion on the Governor’s Address, delivered on March 1, is yet to begin. Amidst chaos the Speaker adjourned the House till 10 am tomorrow. Earlier, during question hour, the Speaker expressed his displeasure to some Ministers who failed to give full answers and told them to reply tomorrow.