CHANDIGARH: The Punjab assembly reposed faith in the Bhagwant Mann government on Friday, as a confidence motion was passed in the special one-day Labour Day session. However, the session was marked by chaos as the opposition levelled serious allegations of drunk behaviour against the chief minister.
The opposition MLAs alleged that Mann appeared intoxicated during the proceedings of the House and demanded that an alcohol test be conducted on all MLAs present in the House. But, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan rejected the demand.
The controversy began when Mann objected to Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira using a mobile phone during the proceedings and pointed out that there was a decorum to be followed in the House where no one was supposed to even sit with their legs crossed.
Khaira responded by referring to Mann’s wife sitting in the visitors’ gallery during an earlier session. Mann responded, “She is not a member of the House. You even target my daughter. He talks nonsense, Speaker sahib. He should be medically treated on the assembly’s expenses.”
As Mann spoke these words, he seemed to stammer. Khaira alleged that Mann was present in the House in an inebriated state. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa supported Khaira’s allegation and demanded that an alcohol test be done on all members present in the House.
Both AAP and Congress legislators stormed the well of the House amid the opposition’s demand for the alcohol test. Following an uproar, in which the treasury benches rallied behind Mann and opposition MLAs kept raising slogans, the Congress staged a walkout. The House reconvened after the lunch break, but was adjourned as the Congress MLAs demanded a breath analyser test on Mann, while the AAP MLAs retaliated with slogans.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal demanded the immediate resignation of Mann, asserting that he had lost all moral authority to continue in the chair after coming to the House in an inebriated state. He said, “Punjabis are shocked that their chief minister has insulted the august house as well as their mandate in this manner.”
Later, addressing a press conference outside the House, Bajwa said that Punjab was witnessing a chief minister who appears “drunk on power and liquor”. He added that Mann’s refusal to undergo an alco-meter test exposed the truth and deepened public suspicion on his habits.