Congress MLAs turn down Badal’s appeal to lift dharna in Vidhan Sabha

CHANDIGARH : Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today tried to pacify the Congress MLAs sitting on dharna inside the Vidhan Sabha. He visited them and appealed to come out and maintain the decorum of the house. The Congress MLA’s however refused to accept his appeal.
There are 22 Congress MLAs who are sitting on dharna inside the Vidhan Sabha since yesterday even after the Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal adjourned the house. The MLAs are agitating against the decision of the Speaker not to allow debate on law and order situation in Punjab. The Congress had moved no-confidence motion which was defeated by voice vote without any discussion.
Some of the Congress MLAs including Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Lal Singh, Balbir Sidhu, Brahm Mahindra. Kewal Singh and Raj Kumar Verka are protesting outside the Vidhan Sabha. They also burnt the effigy of Badal. They demanded to allow discussion on law and order.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress Legislature Party leader Charanjit Singh Channi today announced that the sit in by the party MLAs in the Assembly hall that started last evening would continue till Wednesday creating history. Outrightly rejecting the appeal by the Chief Minister Punjab Parkash Singh Badal to vacate the house, Channi said that Mr Badal approached the congress MLA’s just empty handed without any proposal. Badal’s visit to the assembly today to meet the MLA’s was just a political stunt, a mere photo opportunity. CM came with an official photographer but without any proposal on the discussion on the current issues regarding the state. His appeal is also mere lip sympathy and nothing else. Congress party reiterates its demand to have time for discussion on the current issues on Punjab tomorrow and immediate arrest of S Sukhbir Singh Badal and S Bikram Majithia for their alleged involvement in the illegal mining and drug trade in Punjab. The complaint to this was submitted to the DGP Punjab yesterday. He said, “The Parkash Singh Badal government was so scared of facing the attack that discussion on the no-confidence motion initiated by me in the House yesterday was deliberately scuttled by creating unnecessary disruptions. The treasury benches started the ruckus from the very first sentence that I uttered referring to the loot by the Badal family”. He also urged the Speaker Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal to allow discussion and debate when the House meets on Wednesday as they were the representatives of the people and it was their duty to articulate their concerns.