Punjab AAP MLAs Stage Protest Inside Assembly Over Farm Bill

AAP MLAs staged a sit-in inside the Punjab Assembly

(Image: Twitter/AAP Punjab)

The MLAs of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party on Monday, 20 October, slammed the Punjab government for not tabling a Bill to counter the new farm laws on the first day of a special assembly session and staged a sit-in protest inside the State Assembly, news agency ANI reported.

Later in the evening, the AAP MLAs spent the night inside the assembly building to protest against the Punjab government. Several AAP MLAs had also sat in the well of the house until late on Monday, demanding the copies of the draft bill, reported NDTV.

“AAP will support the legislation against the farm laws but the government should supply us with its copies. We haven’t got copies of other bills as well. How can our legislators discuss and debate important issues?” AAP leader Harpal Cheema said, news agency PTI reported

The Bill is expected to be introduced later today.

Earlier on Monday, the Finance and Acting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Manpreet Singh Badal had said that the state government is consulting constitutional experts on the issue of legislation to counter the new farm laws.

He further stated that the copies of various bills will be tabled during the two-day session will be given to the opposition parties by the evening, reported PTI.

But the AAP MLAs even after the adjournment of the session continued their dharna, demanding copies of the Bill to counter the legislation enacted by the Centre.

Punjab government is looking to counter the farm laws by in the state level, by using the state laws.

Before the assembly session on Monday, the AAP MLAs wore 'black robes' to lodge their protest against the farm laws, Aam Aadmi Party members burnt copies of the farm laws outside the Assembly complex.

Akali Dal Protest Denial of Access to Proposed Bill

Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday evening registered a formal protest for non-supply of proposed legislation set to be introduced in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday, 20 October

The SAD legislature party earlier held a four-hour sit-in dharna outside the Punjab Bhawan here after they were not allowed inside to interact with the media which had been asked to cover the Vidhan Sabha proceedings while stationed there, reported IANS.

Party legislators had also conducted a tractor march to the Vidhan Sabha in the morning in solidarity with farmers. They asserted that the proposed Bills were not being made public with three crore Punjabis because they were being finalised as per directions of the Modi government.

SAD legislator Bikram Singh Majithia told the Speaker Rana K.P. Singh that his office had been undermined by the Congress Legislature Party which arbitrarily announced the extension of the Vidhan Sabha session even though this is the prerogative of the Business Advisory Committee.

He also condemned the Congress government for not sharing the Bills it proposed to introduce in the House tomorrow with the members, saying this amounted to murder of democracy, reported IANS.

(With inputs from PTI, NDTV and IANS)