Nothing wrong in House ruckus: Capt

Sunday, 17/03/2013

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130317/punjab.htm#1

Mohali : Outgoing Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh today justified the recent ruckus caused by Opposition MLAs in the Punjab assembly saying such steps had to be taken when the voice of people was "not heard".

"This is fight for justice. When lawlessness prevails all around and people seeking justice are unable to meet the authorities concerned, then elected representatives are left with little option but to take such steps," said Amarinder Singh.

A former Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh had come to attend a court hearing in connection with the alleged Amritsar Improvement Trust land scam at the Mohali district courts here.

Claiming that supporters of the SAD-BJP government had unleashed terror across Punjab, he said, "The ruling parties are always eager to snub whoever comes to them with complaints of violence or atrocities." He was probably referring to the Tarn Taran police assault victim whose entry to the Vidhan Sabha triggered the present House crisis.

On his absence from the assembly when his party legislators were protesting "lawlessness" in the House, he said he was out of the state when all that happened. "Otherwise also, it is not necessary that every leader should be present there. Whenever needed, I will be there," he said.

Earlier, Amarinder Singh along with senior Congress leader Chaudhary Jagjit Singh and his counsel Ramdeep Partap Singh reached in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge RS Rai at 11.10 am. The next hearing in the case is on April 2.

Loyalists missing

After the removal of Capt Amarinder Singh from the post of PPCC president, loyalties of several Congress leaders seemed to have changed. Several leaders who used to remain present with Amarinder Singh during his previous court hearings were found missing from the scene on Saturday. Prominent among them were Balbir Singh Sidhu, Charanjit Singh Channi, Kharar MLA Jagmohan Singh Kang, Lal Singh, Rana Gurjit Singh, Rana KP, Jasjit Singh Randhawa, Jeet Mahinder Singh Sidhu, Inderjit Singh Jeera, Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Tarlochan Singh and Ranjit Singh Chhajalwadi.

Even the number of Congress activists was quite lesser than that during the previous hearings. Those were present today included Rajpura MLA Hardial Singh Kamboz and Nabha MLA Sadhu Singh Dharamsot.