The Bhagwant Mann-led government won the confidence vote in the Punjab Assembly amid a walkout by the Congress legislators.
Mann had moved the confidence motion in the state Assembly on September 27 while accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to topple his government and alleging that the Congress is siding with the party.
Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan allotted two hours’ time for discussion on the confidence motion. “Two hours’ time is alloted for the discussion. AAP MLAs will get one hour and thirty four minutes, Congress will get 19 minutes, SAD three minutes, BJP two minutes, BSP one minute and Independent MLA will get one minute,” Sandhwan said.
As the discussion began in the Assembly, Congress MLAs staged a walkout, as they were demanding that the Speaker should allot them time to speak and raise issues during the Zero Hour.
The two BJP MLAs — Ashwani Sharma and Jangi Lal Mahajan — had boycotted the session as they had accused the AAP government of violating the Constitution by bringing the confidence motion in the Assembly.
The motion was moved by CM Mann on the opening day of the Assembly session on September 27. Moving the motion, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that at least 10 of its MLAs were approached by the BJP with an offer of Rs 25 crore each in a bid to topple the six-month-old government under its “operation lotus”.
The motion was moved after the Congress MLAs were marshalled out while BJP legislators staged a walkout.
The session was convened after Governor Banwarilal Purohit gave his nod to summon the House on September 27 after days of squabble between the Raj Bhavan and AAP government over holding a session of the Assembly.
Later, the BJP held a mock session near its state unit office in Chandigarh and brought a “no-confidence motion” against the Mann government. The Congress MLAs also held a mock session out of the House.
