Jakhar describes ruckus as ‘unfortunate’; refuses to apologize
Friday, 15/03/2013
http://www.punjabnewsline.com/news/Jakhar-describes-ruckus-as-___unfortunate____-refuses-to-apologize.html
CHANDIGARH: Leader of the opposition in Punjab assembly Sunil Jakhar on Friday described as ‘unfortunate’ the series of incidents inside and outside the assembly hall in which a watch-and-ward staff was allegedly beaten up outside Congress Legislative Party (CLP) office provoking Congress MLAs into indulging in unruly behavior inside the House.
Speaking in the House shortly after it began Friday’s sitting, Jakhar said that he accepted full responsibility for what transpired on Wednesday. He had brought the Dalit girl victim of Punjab police brutality at Tarn Taran without an entry pass because he wanted to highlight the police excesses being committed on people in the state.
He said that she had applied for an entry pass but it was sad that Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal refused to issue her one. Inside the House, he was not allowed to have his say on the issue leading to protest from his partymen. This, in turn, resulted in disruption of proceedings of the House.
He said that the action against nine Congress MLAs for alleged unruly behavior was taken by the Speaker under strong pressure from deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also holds the charge of thehome department, and public relations minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
In the morning, the Speaker suspended the nine MLAs for one day only, but by afternoon, wilting under the pressure of the state government, he announced that the MLAs had been suspended for the rest of the Budget session. Jakhar also said that criminal cases have been registered against his party MLAs.
He demanded that suspension of the members be revoked to enable them to participate in the proceedings of the House. Unless this was done, all Congress MLAs would stay away. Jakhar, along with his MLAs, then staged a walk-out from the House.
