CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will meet President Droupadi Murmu on May 5 in connection with the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs with the Bharatiya Janata Party and demand the “recall” of these parliamentarians.
Talking to the media, Mann said, “The President has given a time of 12 noon on May 5 for the meeting and I will certainly meet her.” However, he did not specify whether all MLAs would be part of the delegation.
When asked whether there was any legal provision for recalling a legislator, Mann did not give a clear answer. He also did not clarify whether MLAs would accompany him for the meeting.
On April 24, the Aam Aadmi Party suffered a major setback when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs — Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal — quit the party and merged with the BJP.
Six of the seven MPs who left AAP were from Punjab. Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan on Monday officially accepted the merger, reducing the strength of Arvind Kejriwal’s party in the Upper House to three.
The move by Mann is being seen in party circles as a “show of strength”, while the Shiromani Akali Dal called it “political theatrics.”
Senior Akali leader Daljit Singh Cheema said that under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, action against MPs falls under Parliament’s domain and not the President’s discretion.
The Constitution has no provision for the recall of an elected representative. The Aam Aadmi Party has also filed a complaint in this regard with the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, addressing paddy cultivation and water management, Mann said water will be released in upgraded canals from May 1.
The CM said water is being released early, with 21,000 cusecs to be discharged on Wednesday, which will reach people by May 1. He added that the supply would benefit horticulture.
Mann said the state has preponed paddy sowing to June 1 and divided Punjab into four zones for a staggered schedule.
“Direct seeding will take place from May 15 to May 31, with eight hours of water supply. Farmers adopting the puddling method will receive water from June 1. From June 5, Muktsar and Bathinda zones will get eight hours of supply, while Malerkotla, Barnala and SBS Nagar districts will receive water from June 9,” he added.