Cong's shadow Cabinet to take on AAP

Chandigarh, May 7

The Congress legislature party (CLP), headed by Partap Singh Bajwa, on Saturday decided to constitute a shadow Cabinet to take on the AAP government.

The CLP, at its maiden meeting held at party office in the Vidhan Sabha, tasked the MLAs who were handling different portfolios as ministers in the previous Congress government and other legislators with taking on the AAP government on issues of respective departments on the floor of the House. This would help the party emerge as a strong Opposition.

“This will allow better coordination and better floor management against the treasury benches during the Vidhan Sabha session. We will be aggressive in taking up people’s issue,” CLP leader Partap Bajwa told The Tribune. When the session is not in progress, the MLA will going to public on issues related to departments being handled by them.

Barring Rana Gurjeet Singh and Pargat Singh, who are abroad, all other MLAs participated in the meeting. PCC president Raja Warring stressed the need for a coordinated attack on treasury benches. MLA Aruna Chaudhary raised the issue AAP government stopping grants and ongoing development projects.

It was pointed out against the precedent of the Speaker deciding on the questions (especially of the Opposition) to be taken up, token system should be followed during the House sessions. Moreover, the government would be asked to do 24×7 live telecast of the House proceedings. The members expressed concern over BJP’s Tajinder Bagga episode. “The Kejriwal-led government has created an unsavoury situation wherein one uniformed force has been pitched against another. The politics of ‘badla’ (vengeance), and not ‘badlav’ (change), is not acceptable,” said Bajwa.

The meeting deliberated on various crucial issues to be taken up in the upcoming Budget session.