Chandigarh: Pandemonium prevailed in Punjab
Assembly on Thursday with opposition Congress staging protests over
alleged conversion of 120 year old Khalsa college building
into a private university forcing the Speaker to twice adjourn
the House.
During the Zero Hour, Sukhpal Singh Khaira of the
Congress alleged that the state government is converting the
heritage building of 120 year old Khalsa college in Amritsar
into a private university to benefit the family of father in
law of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
"The government is hell bent upon misusing the
institution...it wants to deprive children of poor families
of opportunity to get education at a cheaper price," he said.
Satyajeet Majithia, father-in-law of Sukhbir and father
of MLA Bikramjeet Singh Majithia is chairman of the managing
committee of the Khalsa college at Amritsar.
Chief whip of Congress Rana Gurmeet Sodhi too endorsed
the views of Khaira.
Leader of opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal reiterated her
party`s demand to bring a white paper on state finances,
seeking vote on account for three months pending passage of
the budget and setting up a joint committee of the House to
probe the transfer of government land to private entities.
"The government should make a reply on our demands put by
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Wednesday ...otherwise we
will not participate in the budget debate," she said spelling
out her party`s stand.
Ignoring the opposition members plea, Speaker Nirmal
Singh Kahlon called for the next agenda listed for the day.
Agitated Congress members went into the well of the House
and shouted slogans against the Badal government and also
staged a protest forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for
30 minutes.
When the House reassembled, Bhattal again raised the
demands of her party asking the state government to take a
call on them.
In a bid to set things right, Chief Minister and leader
of the House Parkash Singh Badal intervened and said that "the
budget presented by the Finance Minister itself is a white
paper."
On Khalsa college, Badal said that the institution is
being converted into a university."If there are any doubts
these can be sorted out by sitting across the table," he told
the Opposition and warned that people of Punjab will not spare
Congress if it did not participate in the budget discussion.
The speaker again called next item on agenda forcing
agitated Congress members to rush to the well of the House
again and stage protests following which the Assembly was
again adjourned for an hour.
When the House re-assembled, Congress members went to the
well of the House again and shouted slogans against the
government for about an hour forcing the speaker to adjourn
the Assembly for the day.
PTI
