Mann said that his government would resume the session only after resolution of the issue and asked the Speaker to adjourn the budget session sine die.
Published Oct 20, 2023 | 9:45 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 20, 2023 | 9:45 PM
Punjab Chief Minister Mann at the state Assembly session. (Supplied)
The two-day Assembly session, which started on Friday, 20 October, has been cut short by a day as the Governor refused to give assent to three money Bills which were scheduled to be tabled today.
Furious over the Governor calling the session “illegal” and withholding pending Bills, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that they would now seek a logical conclusion by moving the Supreme Court, on 30 October, to get the pending Bills cleared.
Mann said that his government would resume the session only after resolution of the issue and asked Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to adjourn the budget session sine die so that the House could be convened after the Supreme Court’s decision.
It was yesterday that Governor Banwarilal Purohit called the extended budget session “illegal” and wrote to the Chief Minister informing him about withholding his approval on the Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Indian Stamp (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2023.
ਗਵਰਨਰ ਸਾਬ੍ਹ ਸਾਡੇ ਬੁਲਾਏ ਹੋਏ ਸੈਸ਼ਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਗ਼ੈਰ ਕਨੂੰਨੀ ਦੱਸੀ ਜਾ ਰਹੇ ਨੇ..ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਖ਼ਜ਼ਾਨੇ ਦਾ ਨੁਕਸਾਨ ਹੋ ਰਿਹੈ ਸੈਸ਼ਨ ਨੂੰ ਗ਼ੈਰ ਕਨੂੰਨੀ ਕਹਿਣ ‘ਤੇ…ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਵਾਂਗ ਅਸੀਂ ਮਾਣਯੋਗ ਸੁਪਰੀਮ ਕੋਰਟ ਜਾਵਾਂਗੇ ਤੇ ਕਨੂੰਨੀ ਪੱਖ ਰੱਖ ਕੇ ਜਿੱਤ ਕੇ ਆਵਾਂਗੇ.. pic.twitter.com/c8nbhnUMB7
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) October 20, 2023
Mann went on to accuse Governor Purohit of a “dictatorial attitude” and asked him to stop threatening Punjabis. “Governor is resorting to bullying tactics to prevent a democratically-elected government from taking pro-people decisions. Governor is taking Punjabis for granted and will be taught a befitting lesson for his arrogant attitude,” said Mann.
He added, “This highhandedness of the Governor will not stand in legal scrutiny and will be rightly set aside by the apex court. Governor is questioning the rationale behind power subsidy to people and other welfare initiatives. We have inherited debt from the previous governments and we will remove it, but like our counterparts in Kerala, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu, the Punjab Governor should also not create obstacles in the working of the state government.”
ਬਹੁਤ ਜ਼ਰੂਰੀ ਬਿੱਲ ਸੀ ਜੋ ਗਵਰਨਰ ਸਾਬ੍ਹ ਨੇ ਰੋਕ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਨੇ…ਸਾਰੇ ਬਿੱਲ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ ਆਮਦਨ ਨਾਲ ਸੰਬੰਧਤ ਸੀ…ਕਰਜ਼ੇ ਨੂੰ ਲੈਕੇ ਸਵਾਲ ਪੁੱਛਣਾ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦਾ ਹੱਕ ਹੈ..ਪਰ ਜਿਹੜਾ ਕਰਜ਼ਾ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਵਿਰਸੇ ‘ਚ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਤੇ ਕਿਉਂ ਚੜ੍ਹਿਆ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਲੈਕੇ ਵੀ ਸਵਾਲ ਕਰਨ ਗਵਰਨਰ ਸਾਬ੍ਹ pic.twitter.com/foYYJ6azey
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) October 20, 2023
Bhagwant Mann, while presenting a letter written by the then-Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra in 2019 to convene the 9th session of the 15th Vidhan Sabha on same lines, said, “This is not for the first time that such a session has been called for, but the Governor is creating undue hindrance in that.”
In absence of these Bills, the key highlight of the session was verbal spats between Mann and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa.
The duo had a heated exchange over drug trade allegations, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for 10 minutes. Mann was replying to Bajwa during Zero Hour when their argument began.
When Bajwa cited Jalandhar West AAP MLA Sheetal Angural’s allegations against AAP’s lone Lok Sabha member Sushil Kumar Rinku, Mann retorted that there can be differences between party members. He went on to add, “Even (former chief minister) Captain Amarinder Singh had written against you (Bajwa) on involvement in drug trade. What shall we do with that letter?”
ਕੈਪਟਨ ਅਮਰਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਨੇ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਹੁੰਦਿਆਂ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਹਾਈਕਮਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਚਿੱਠੀ ਲਿਖੀ ਸੀ ਕਿ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਦੇ ਕੁਝ ਲੀਡਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਡਰੱਗ ਮਾਫੀਏ ਨਾਲ ਸੰਬੰਧ ਨੇ…ਉਸ ਚਿੱਠੀ ਦਾ ਕੀ ਕਰੀਏ ਬਾਜਵਾ ਸਾਬ੍ਹ?? pic.twitter.com/ExhSR5XSVN
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) October 20, 2023
Objecting to Mann’s remark, Bajwa dared him to act against him. “Tu jo karna karla (Do what you like),” Bajwa said. The Chief Minister objected to Bajwa addressing him impolitely. This led to an argument that divided the House.
AAP MLAs demanded action against Bajwa for using unparliamentary language. The Speaker had to step in. Similarly, Mann objected to Bajwa paying no attention to his words and using the phone in the House.
The Shiromani Akali Dal called the session “a waste of public resources”, saying that it should have not been called in absence of the Bills to be tabled.
