Cong MLAs keep away from session

Opposition Congress continued to boycott the Punjab Assembly for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday, holding a mock session  outside the complex to protest suspension of nine of its members last week.

Treasury benches remained adamant that the Congress members should tender an apology for their conduct against the Chair last week, while the opposition criticised the ruling Akalis at a parallel mock session.

In the absence of the opposition, the Question Hour lasted for 10 minutes, after which the House took up the financial business amid boycott by Congress MLAs.
At the mock session, Ashwani Sekhri of Congress said, “What Congress did is correct and under no circumstances we will tender an apology.”

The mock Congress session passed a resolution demanding an apology from CM Parkash Singh Badal for throwing the opposition members outside the House. The party MLAs demanded an apology from Badal for allegedly tossing the turban of the then speaker Surjeet Singh Minhas in 1986 during a ruckus inside the House.

Congress session’s mock Speaker Jagmohan Singh Kang constituted a three-member committee to probe Badal’s role in 1986 and submit its report by Wednesday on what action could be taken against him.