Punjab Congress to raise law and order issue with union HM - 16/12/2009
LUDHIANA - December 15: Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today said she would be meeting the Lok Sabha Speaker Ms Miera Kumar to urge her to raise the issue of the conduct of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon during the next All India Speakers Conference. She said, a delegation of the Punjab Congress will also meet the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on the issue of law and order in the state seeking independent enquiry by the central government.Addressing a press conference here today, Ms Bhattal alleged, the conduct of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker inside the house was quite partial as he denied the opposition its statutory rights and ignored all conventions. “The way he conducted the proceedings of the house only reflected his partial approach, quite unbecoming of a speaker”, she observed.
The Leader of the Opposition suggested that the Speaker should ideally have resigned after having been indicted in a case of corruption. The precedent demanded that he should have resigned after the indictment but he has stuck to his chair after having lost all moral authority to do so.
Expressing grave concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab, the former Chief Minister sought an independent enquiry by the central government into the disturbances in Ludhiana. She said, she will be leading a delegation to the Union Home Minister for this purpose as the state government had failed in its duty to safeguard the life and property of the people.
She maintained that the police morale was all time low as the jathedars were calling the shots. Referring to the recent incident of the beating up of a Home Guard DIG by the son of a close friend of the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Ludhiana recently, Ms Bhattal said, the Akali goons were breaking law with all the impunity with all patronage from the Badals.
The Leader of the Opposition said, no police officer from SHO onwards had any independent authority as they were mainly being guided and directed by the jathedars. “Even senior police officers have been reduced to waiting for the orders from the father, mother, son and Bikram”, she remarked, while adding, lawlessness was bound to happen.
Ms Bhattal maintained that this government had completely failed on all fronts and the state had been reduced to bankruptcy. She said, there was no inward investment rather the industry was seeking an urgent exit. “Even our NRIs who have always contributed a great deal towards Punjab’s economy are scared to come here”, she alleged.