The Punjab Assembly on Wednesday witnessed noisy scenes after Congress MLAs stormed the well of the House for being denied a discussion on the law and order situation in the state, while the SAD condemned the invoking of the National Security Act (NSA) against radical preacher Amritpal Singh.
As Question Hour began in the budget session of the Vidhan Sabha here, Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa asked the Speaker about the adjournment motion on the law and order issue moved by his party.
Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan told Bajwa that it has been disallowed. It angered the Congress legislators and they rushed to the well of the House and shouted slogans.
Later during Zero Hour, Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali said an “atmosphere of terror” has been created in the state, referring to the police action against Amritpal Singh and members of his outfit ‘Waris Punjab De.
The radical preacher is on the run after police launched a major crackdown against his organisation and arrested a number of his aides.
On Wednesday, police said a team has reached Jallupur Khera, Amritpal Singh’s native village in Amritsar, where they met some of his family members.
Inside the assembly, Congress leader Bajwa termed as “wrong” the Speaker’s decision to disallow the adjournment motion on the law and order issue moved by his party.
Bajwa asked the Chair to give the Congress members some time to speak on the matter, but the Speaker retorted, “I want to say to you that Question Hour is sacrosanct…People of Punjab will not tolerate this. People are watching you.” Trying to corner the government on the Amritpal Singh issue, SAD MLA Ayali alleged that many Sikhs youths are being implicated in “false cases”.
“The NSA which has been invoked I understand is completely wrong,” he said.
With inputs from News18
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