Govt can’t hold kangaroo court, says Jakhar
Sunday, 25/06/2017
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=177905&boxid=59466&uid=&dat=2017-06-25
Chandigarh : Three days after Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh affronted his party MLAs who were impatiently demanding the arrest of Akalis for their alleged involvement in the drug trade, Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar on Saturday advised them to keep nerves. “The state government cannot go merely by perception and hold a kangaroo court but has to follow the due process of law,” announced Jakhar. Mincing no words, Jakhar, however cautioned the Akalis too and said, “Those who came in black robes to the Vidhan Sabha and were boldly demanding probes will not have to wait for a long, as the Captain Amarinder Singh government was going systematically about initiating inquiries and action against the various mafias that had mushroomed during the Akali regime.”
“Just have patience, you will pay for your misdeeds,” he said, adding that the Congress government will not be vindictive but no mafia will be spared. Speaking further, Jakhar accused the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of playing a fixed match before the polls and now again in the state assembly, which they had reduced to a battleground due to their inter and intra-party power struggles. Addressing the media persons, Jakhar lashed out at the opposition parties for making a mockery of the democratic institution of the state assembly and demanded an unconditional apology from both for undermining the sanctity of the House and the Speaker. He said historic decisions like the abolition of the truck unions and the transparency introduced into the mining auctions clearly showed Captain Amarinder’s commitment to fulfilling every promise on this count.On the developments in the Assembly, Jakhar said that while Parkash Singh Badal had not been coming to the House because the Akali Dal had been relegated to the side, AAP was also suffering because of its internal power tussle, with HS Phoolka playing to the galleries in a bid to establish his leadership.
While the entire incident in the House was unfortunate, the fact was that the during the Akali regime, Congress MLAs were also stopped by the speaker from entering the Vidhan Sabha premises, he added. Jakhar requested the Speaker to be lenient towards AAP members as they were first-timers in the Vidhan Sabha.Describing the language used by Sukhbir against the Speaker as ‘most unfortunate’, the PPCC president said the former deputy chief minister had exploited the inexperience of AAP members to his advantage. Jakhar also flayed Bikram Majithia for trying to communalise the ‘pagdi’ issue and urged the Akalis not to indulge in such anti-people acts.
Jakhar’s key questions to Badals
Will Sukhbir withdraw defamation case against AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who had accused Bikram Majithia of drug smuggling, as their nexus has been now exposed?
Will Sukhbir apologise for using derogatory words against the Speaker?
Will Parkash Singh Badal come to the Vidhan Sabha to take charge of the Opposition?
A special chair for Badal !
Speaking about the ruckus in Vidhan Sabha, PPCC president Sunil Jakhar said he will urge the Speaker and the Chief Minister to create an “honorary Opposition leader’s position” in the Vidhan Sabha to accommodate Badal Senior, as the former chief minister was finding it difficult to attend the proceedings due to an identity crises and failure to see the harsh realities of being relegated to the third place in the house.
Reacting to his offer, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said: “This is the right suggestion Jakhar has made. It has clarified that legislators don’t accept Amarinder Singh as leader of the House and the Speaker has no say in Vidhan Sabha. Under such circumstances, only Badal Sahib can handle the situation.” “I am confident that within few minutes, realising his incompetence, the CM will hand over the baton to former CM to ensure the smooth conduct of further sessions,” Sukhbir quipped.
