Clarify if MLAs who had come in contact with their COVID positive colleague could attend the session

Chandigarh, (Gurpreet) – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislative wing today asked Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana K P Singh to clarify if SAD legislators who had come in contact with their COVID-19 positive colleague Gurpartap Singh Wadala could attend the assembly session tomorrow even as it slammed the Congress government for holding a one hour sham session.

Stating that the Speaker should give clear cut directions in this regard on the basis of Vidhan Sabha rules as well as those of the State and the centre, legislative party leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the legislative group was in a state of confusion on this issue because it had not received any communication from the Speaker.

The legislative wing also wrote a letter to the Speaker to inform him about the turn of events including the fact that Mr Gurpartap Wadala had tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a meeting of the legislative group on August 25. It said though the Speaker had given a statement to a section of the media that any mla coming in primary contact with a COVID-19 positive person would not be allowed to attend the assembly session tomorrow, the situation was not clear. “As far as coming in primary contact is concerned, the same is true of Congress legislators who will be attending the session tomorrow must have also come in contact with their colleagues who have tested positive recently. The same is true for the Speaker himself and he should also quarantine himself. The only person who can safely attend the session is chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh who is in self quarantine at his farm house”.

 Mr Dhillon and Mr Majithia said even though the SAD legislators had approached the Speaker out of a sense of responsibility, the Congress government on its part was running away from holding any discussion on the burning issues of the State and killing democracy. They said while other assemblies and even the parliament were meeting for up to two weeks, it was only the Congress government in Punjab which had decided to hold a one hour session. “If the government is really serious about discussing the issues of the people it should hold an obituary session tomorrow and follow it up with a full-fledged session after another week or so.

Asking the government not to murder democracy in this manner, the SAD legislators said they had on their part followed all instructions issued by the government. “We have got ourselves tested and were prepared to attend the session to discuss burning issues like taking action against Congress legislators who were hand in glove with the liquor mafia which had caused a loss of Rs 5,600 crore to the State exchequer. We also wanted to discuss the latest revelations made by Congress Tarn Taran district President Manjit Singh Ghasitpur who has accused Congress leaders of shielding those accused in the hooch tragedy. We also wanted to raise the issue of frontline workers not getting salaries, the plight of COVID-19 patients being fleeced in some government hospitals, embezzlement of MGNREGA funds or even the latest loot of the treasury by Social Welfare minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot”