Chandigarh, March 4; SAD MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu alleged that Finance Minister Manpreet Badal was “against Dalits” and “abused him” in the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday.
Badal and Tinu had almost come to blows in the Assembly.
Earlier, Akali MLAs staged a walkout of the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday after demanding the resignation of Power Minister Gurpreet Kangar over the death of the main witness in the Behbal Kalan sacrilege case.
The SAD MLAs alleged that the wife of Surjit Singh, the main witness, had alleged that he died because of harassment by Kangar and MLA Kushaldeep Singh Kiki Dhillon.
Treasury benches and the Opposition benches were seen on the same page against the “high handedness” of bureaucracy.
SAD and Congress MLAs raised the issue of rooms being denied to MLAs at Punjab Bhawan. Congress MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra asked why Advocate General Atul Nanda and Chief Secretary had permanent rooms at Punjab Bhawan. He said that three years of cumulative rent should be charged from both of them.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh raised the issue of Power Purchase Agreements. He said that diversion tactics are being adopted by the governments in the name of White Paper or by forming a committee. He demanded a Vidhan Sabha committee on the issue which would give a report within three weeks.
LIVE UPDATES:
- AAP brings its own ‘White Paper’ on power in the house. The Speaker refuses permission to table AAP’s ‘White Paper’.
- AAP MLAs storm well of the house.
- AAP MLA Aman Arora said that the CM assured to bring White Paper to the house but didn’t honour his word.
- AAP stages walk out of the house over this.
- Heated arguments ensue between SAD MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu and Congress MLAs
- Speaker adjourns house for 15 minutes
- Manpreet Badal, Kulbir Singh Zira and Tinu virtually come to exchanging blows.
- Tinu was alone as all other SAD MLAs had already staged walked out
- BJP MLA Arun Narang and SAD MLA Manpreet Ayali try to broker peace.
- Braham Mohindra says Tinu tried to provoke Manpreet Badal.He demands that the matter should be referred to the privilege committee of the house. The House passed a resolution referring Tinu’s matter to privilege committee of the house.
- In a press conference, Tinu says Manpreet Badal is against Dalits. He said that Badal wanted to know where Rs 860 crore for Dalit scholarships has gone?
- He says Manpreet Badal used abusive language against him in house. He alleged minister Sukhjinder Randhawa and Kulbir Zira threatened him.
- Tinu demanded a privilege motion against Sukhjinder Randhawa and Finance Minister Manpreet Badal.
