Chandigarh, November 5
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab senior leader and Leader of Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema has accused the ruling Congress of running away from the pending ‘monsoon session’, which is a violation of the Indian Constitution and the peak of non-seriousness and insensitivity towards Punjab and its public issues. The AAP argues that the government should convene a session of at least 15 days to resolve future and long pending issues and concerns relating to Punjab and the people; which should be telecast live. There should be constructive and serious discussion on every issue so that a solution can be ensured.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Friday, Harpal Singh Cheema said that a one day session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha has been convened on November 8; which is not enough. He said that no concrete solution is possible in one day’s session, for the issues and matters that are pending. However, constitutionally and technically, the ‘monsoon session’ is pending. Therefore, the Channi government should show seriousness about the pending monsoon session instead of pretending with a one-day session.
Cheema questioned what kind of magic wand the Channi government has that will resolve the issues; lying pending for decades in a one-day session. If the Congress can perform a miracle of resolving all the issues in one day, then the Congress is responsible for the devastation of over the last four-and-a-half-years. He questioned the implementation of the decisions being taken by the Channi government, stating that the electoral stunts and manipulations behind every decision were obvious. But the people of Punjab are watching this pretence with a deep eye.
The AAP leader further said that when the one day special session of the Vidhan Sabha dedicated to the 400th martyrdom anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji was convened on September 3; we (AAP) had argued that the one-day special session could not be technically or constitutionally linked to the monsoon session. In a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) held before the commencement of the special session on that day, the Speaker of the Assembly Rana KP Singh had assured that the session would be reconvened in 15-20 days to discuss all the remaining issues. But now after two months, only one day’s session is being called for as pretence.
Harpal Singh Cheema said, “The desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Kotkapura firing, extension of BSF jurisdiction, robbery of federal structure and state rights by the Centre, unemployment, debt waiver, private power purchase agreements, MGNREGA scams and the issues of drugs, sand, alcohol, transport, cable, land and mandis mafia, are as they are. Whereas the Congress in its 2017 election manifesto, had promised to address all these issues. Although the Congress has tried to save its skin by changing Ali Baba; the Congress cannot escape accountability to the people.”
He said that today Punjab has become a land of protests. Issues related to the farmers, laborers, traders, employees and the unemployed need to be discussed in the Vidhan Sabha. Harpal Singh Cheema further said that the entire media should be allowed to enter the Assembly complex, because for a long time now, the journalists have been kept in solitary confinement in the Assembly complex, citing the Covid rules. Reminding Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi of his tenure as Leader of Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema said, “When Channi was the Leader of Opposition, he himself used to demand a long session from the then Badal government. Therefore, Chief Minister Channi should also convene the remaining monsoon session for at least 15 days.”
