Cong plan to reduce session to single sitting a cruel joke on people and mockery of democracy- Sukhbir Badal.
Cong plan to reduce session to single sitting a cruel joke on people and mockery of democracy- Sukhbir Badal. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the Congress party had played a cruel joke on the people and made a mockery of democracy by recommending the winter session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha be reduced to a single sitting, something which had happened for the first time in the history of the State. In a statement here, the SAD president while condemning the anti-people move, said Congress party legislators, who formed a majority in the business advisory committee of the Vidhan Sabha, had recommended the winter session be curtailed from two days to a single day. “This is unprecedented and has taken democratic norms to a new low. It also amounts to cheating the people as well as muzzling their voice. The Congress legislators should tell the people why they became party to this anti -people decision”. Mr Badal said it was shocking that the Congress government was running away from discussion on people’s issues by curtailing the winter session to one sitting as per discussions held in the business advisory committee. “As only obituary references were made today, one day is too less to take up peoples issues as well as pass bills as scheduled”. He said former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa had protested against this anti- people approach in the meeting of the business advisory committee and demanded the session be extended by one week to discuss emergent issues of the State. “We will take up this issue with the Speaker also tomorrow and demand that the session be extended appropriately”, he added. The SAD president said it seemed the Congress government’s failure on all fronts was behind its decision to curtail the assembly session. “The government does not want any discussion on farmer issues or promises made to the youth, discrimination being meted out to Dalits and government employees or destruction of peace and communal harmony in Punjab”. He said the people however wanted their issues to be heard in the Vidhan Sabha. “Sugarcane farmers want to know why they are being deceived and why they are not being given their dues. Potato farmers want a fair price for their crop. SC students want their scholarship to be paid. Similarly government employees should not be denied DA. The law and order situation and the destruction of peace and communal harmony by bomb blasts due to government policies also needs to be discussed in the august house. So does the issue of support to the ‘sarkari dharna’ which was staged with the support of the government and then ended on the government’s directions. We will put up all these issues before the Speaker tomorrow and ask him not to murder democracy by holding a single sitting which is designed purely to ensure the Congress government’s non-performance and its failure on all fronts is not exposed in the Vidhan Sabha”, he added
