CONG MLAs’ NIGHT OUT IN HOUSE

Tuesday, 13/09/2016

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PROTEST OR PUBLICITY STUNT? Nearly 30 party leaders stay put in Punjab assembly, want debate on no-trust motion resumed.

CHANDIGARH: In the last session of the assembly before Punjab goes to polls early next year, the Congress did the unprecedented. After a no-confidence motion that the party brought against the Akali-BJP government was defeated amid unruly scenes, Congress MLAs refused to leave the House after the day’s session was adjourned at 6pm on Monday. The House will meet on Wednesday after Tuesday’s Eid holiday.

Of the 42 Congress legislators in Punjab, nearly 30 decided to stay put in the assembly in Chandigarh on Monday night; (top right) party leaders Sukhjinder Randhawa, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Charanjit Singh Channi and Navtej Bajwa on the floor. Four women MLAs were also part of protest team.

Around 30 of the 42 Congress MLAs, including four women, were sitting on the floor of the House till the filing of this report (1.30am), plunging the Punjab assembly staff into crisis. The protesting Congress MLAs are demanding a fresh debate on the no-confidence motion. Leader of opposition Charanjit Singh Channi said they would not move from the House till Wednesday, the last day of the session. “The air-conditioners and lights have been switched off. We were without food and water for hours. But we are fighting for Punjab and will not let the government browbeat us,” Channi said.

Punjab assembly secretary Shashi Mishra, who was staying put in the assembly along with the watch-and-ward staff, said: “There is no convention of such indefinite sit-in inside the assembly. I have requested them to leave. The staff too has not been able to go home. They shouldn’t have done this. The central air-conditioning system is controlled by the Chandigarh administration staff which had left for the day,” she said, adding they will not be evicted forcibly.

All efforts put in by the assembly staff and senior police officers on duty inside the assembly to cajole the MLAs to go home failed. “The assembly staff, on orders of the government, is trying to make us as much uncomfortable as is possible. Till we threatened them that we will break the furniture around 10pm, we were sitting in pitch darkness,” said Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

On food and water to the protesting MLAs, Mishra said they have a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) office on the premises, which could cater to them. “We will not be able to provide them food at this hour,” she said. At 11pm, Channi said the CLP office is arranging for food. Around 9pm, state party chief Captain Amarinder Singh sent packed food and juice packs for the protesting MLAs.

The Congress strategy to picket the assembly unfolded after it lost the no-confidence motion in the House earlier in the day on Monday. The hour-long debate saw Congress storming into the well of the House against Akali MLAs Iqbal Singh Jhunda and later Gurpartap Singh Wadala, who were presiding in the absence of the speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, wearing the “proud to be an Akali” badge. Though Channi resumed his speech twice on the motion after the speaker came back to the chair, Atwal put it to vote finally after an hour following unruly scenes between treasury and opposition benches over use of “objectionable” words by the CLP leader against the ruling Badal family, which were later expunged.

After the House was adjourned for the day, Warring exhorted MLAs to first hold a mock session on the floor of the House and later they decided to continue the sitin till the speaker allowed a fresh debate on the motion.

While party MLAs stayed put inside, Amarinder provided support from outside by issuing a statement. “It was undemocratic on part of the speaker not to allow the discussion on anarchy, lawlessness and serious issues the state is facing under the SADBJP rule,” he said. Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa, whose wife Charanjit Bajwa is among the protesting MLAs, said in a statement: “It seems that spirit of former president of Uganda Idi Amin has entered Mr Badal that he is behaving in the most undemocratic manner.”

When HT correspondent reached the Punjab assembly at 11.30pm, 27 Congress MLAs were still camping inside, either sitting on the floor or on treasury and opposition benches, most of them sweating profusely. The air-conditioner was working in the party office, but not inside the House. Only table lamps on the treasury benches were functional and most of the MLAs were sitting there. “We are practicing for the post election scene in the assembly when we will be sitting on these benches,” said an upbeat Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

Two table fans were arranged, one was kept near women MLAs, who were sitting together. “We managed to get peanuts and chips from the canteen in the evening before it closed,” said Charanjit Bajwa. Senior party leader Sunil Jakhar was sleeping on the floor. Singer Mohammad Sadiq was sitting in another corner with a rosary and praying.

Only male members of the assembly watch and ward staff were present at night. “There are no women from the staff here,” said MLA Aruna Chaudhry.

Only one door to the assembly hall was kept open and some MLAs even managed to come back after having dinner at homes. A few cops were holding a meeting inside the assembly premises and revealed that there was no plan to evict the MLAs forcibly.

However, by 1.15am most of the officials, including Mishra, left. Only a few staff members were holding fort and were looking for an opportunity to lock the central hall in case all protesting MLAs came out at the same time.

ANOTHER MIDNIGHT DRAMA

The staff of the assembly, some of whom have been here for decades, said they had not spent a night like this. They were, however, reminded of the day when they were in the House till 4am waiting for Chandigarh’s transfer to Punjab. “It was in the mid-eighties. The entire House was sitting and we kept waiting for the transfer to take place. But at 4am, we were told it is not going to happen,” said a senior staff member.