Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu condemned the ruckus in the state Assembly over some legislations passed by the ruling Congress government, and said that the Opposition was “deliberately” hampering the conduct of the House.
“Today’s ruckus in Punjab Assembly was deliberate as Opposition is scared. The Charanjit Singh Channi government and Punjab Congress are working for the people…Whatever announcement has been made is a vision for the next 5 years, not just 2-3 months,” Sidhu told reporters.
The situation went out of control in the Punjab Assembly after CM Channi made some remark against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House thrice.
Later, MLAs from both the Congress and SAD exchanged verbal blows, with some opposition members even entering the well of the House.
Some legislators had to intervene to prevent MLAs of both parties from getting into a brawl. The Speaker later expunged the comments made by Channi.
The chief minister had passed the remarks while speaking about a resolution against the Centre’s three new farm laws, against which farmers have been agitating at Delhi borders for nearly a year now.
Majithia had earlier disrupted Sidhu’s address over the matter.
Meanwhile, former CM Amarinder Singh today opposed a resolution adopted by the Punjab Assembly against the Centre’s decision to extend the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force, and said that the Union government’s move does not infringe upon the state’s authority.
“The BSF like the Punjab Police is our own force and not any external or foreign force coming to occupy our land. The operational jurisdiction of the BSF concerns national security and not the law and order in the state, which the current powers that be in Punjab are apparently not able to understand. The state government should not politicise the issue of national security for petty partisan ends and motives,” Amarinder said.
The Centre had in October amended the BSF Act, giving the border forces power to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a 50 km stretch, up from the earlier 15 kms, of the international borders in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.
However, the Punjab Assembly today adopted a resolution, calling the Centre’s move an “insult” to state police.
