CHANDIGARH: Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday said the Congress would seek permission from Akal Takht acting Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on whether its MLAs could attend the upcoming monsoon session of the Assembly in view of the Akal Takht edict declaring Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as 'Guru Dokhi' and 'Panth Virodhi'.
The Assembly's monsoon session is scheduled to be held from August 3 to 10.
Bajwa said the Congress would ask the Akal Takht whether its MLAs could attend the Assembly and interact with Chief Minister Mann in view of the edict. He also expressed doubts over whether the opposition would be given adequate time during the session to raise public issues and seek answers from the government.
He said the Congress would raise issues including the pending dearness allowance (DA) of government employees, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's alleged failure to fulfil election promises, the state's rising debt burden and the police action against MGNREGA and sanitation workers.
Bajwa made the announcement while addressing the media during a Congress delegation's visit to meet injured sanitation workers in Barnala. Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, MLAs Rana Gurjeet Singh and Kuldeep Singh Kala Dhillon, besides other Congress leaders, were present.
Demanding strict action over Wednesday's lathicharge on protesting sanitation workers in Barnala, Bajwa called for criminal cases to be registered against all police personnel involved. He said suspending the DSP was not adequate punishment, alleging that such officers were often reinstated within a month or two and given better postings.
Referring to alleged examination paper leaks in Punjab, Bajwa said AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister Mann and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains had protested at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against the NEET-UG paper leak and criticised police action there, while the Punjab government had ordered a lathicharge on protesting workers in the state.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who was expected to join the Barnala visit, did not accompany the delegation.
Earlier in the day, Warring reiterated the demand for criminal cases against all police personnel involved in the lathicharge. In a live video on his Facebook page, he appealed to Congress workers to gather in Barnala in support of the sanitation workers. He also questioned who the duty magistrate was during the police action and demanded action against the Barnala SSP, alleging that the lathicharge was carried out on the instructions of senior police officers. He also said he would visit Barnala in the evening and participate in a candle march in solidarity with the sanitation workers.
Asked about Warring's absence, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi declined to comment, saying that discussing internal party matters would divert attention from the sanitation workers' issue. He said the focus should remain on the workers' agitation and the police action against them.
Former minister and SAD (Punar Surjeet) leader Parminder Singh Dhindsa also joined the ongoing protest by sanitation workers at the Municipal Corporation office in Barnala.
