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  India   Congress continues sleep-in stir in Punjab Assembly

Congress continues sleep-in stir in Punjab Assembly

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Sep 14, 2016, 1:49 am IST
Updated : Sep 14, 2016, 1:49 am IST

Efforts by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to make the 27 Congress MLAs — who had stayed put in the Vidhan Sabha through the night on Monday — leave the House proved futile on Tuesday with t

Efforts by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to make the 27 Congress MLAs — who had stayed put in the Vidhan Sabha through the night on Monday — leave the House proved futile on Tuesday with the legislators rejecting his appeal.

There was high drama outside the Punjab secretariat as senior Congress leaders were prevented from reaching the Punjab Assembly in support of the 27 party MLAs who, in an unprecedented form of protest, spent the entire Monday night in the Vidhan Sabha. And now Tuesday night as well.

The legislators had protested after the debate on the no-confidence motion moved by their party was scuttled and the motion defeated by a voice vote on Monday.

Though the Punjab government gave an assurance that a discussion will be allowed on the subject, the MLAs refused to leave the Assembly building on Monday evening after the House was adjourned, and sought a fresh debate on the no-confidence motion against the Akali Dal-BJP government. As the night dragged on, the Assembly staff left at around 1 am and television pictures showed the MLAs fanning themselves in the dark and talking with each other in the dim light from their mobile phones.

The MLAs sweated it out while their support staff kept sending refreshments. Some who stepped out to use the toilet helped themselves to diet cokes and tea. State Congress chief Capt. Amarinder Singh “arranged dinner” for the MLAs. One report said their dinner came from the nearby KFC.

The 27 Congress MLAs slept on the floor of the Punjab Assembly. On Tuesday morning, when the officials returned, a heated exchange took place between security personnel and the MLAs, including Youth Congress leader Amrinder Singh Raja Warring after the police didn’t let other MLAs enter the Assembly complex. Senior party leaders Ambika Soni, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Lal Singh were prevented from reaching the Assembly. The leaders demanded that a written order banning the entry of people into the House be issued, but House secretary Shashi Lakhanpal Mishra reportedly told them that Tuesday being a holiday for Id-ul Zuha, only verbal orders were issued that nobody be allowed inside the House for security reasons.

On Tuesday morning, the 27 MLAs continued with their protest inside the Vidhan Sabha, wearing aprons that read “Punjab da cancer — Badal sarkar”. Leader of the Opposition Charanjit Singh Channi said: “Unless we are assured the debate on the motion will take place on Wednesday (when House proceedings resume), we will not move out.”

Location: India, Chandigarh