The eight-day budget session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha was off to a stormy start on Monday morning with copies of governor VP Singh Badnore’s address being torn by opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) members.
The budget estimates for the 2021-22 financial year will be presented on March 5.
While the SAD planned to gherao the assembly, AAP legislators came to the Vidhan Sabha on bicycles, shouting slogans against the alleged “unfulfilled promises of the Congress government”.
Ahead of the start of Governor’s address, Akali Dal MLAs led by Bikram Singh Majithia raised slogans of “go back Governor” over the farm Bills. The Akalis also removed the red carpet laid for the Governor at the assembly gate.
As many as 40 Congress MLAs, including Navjot Singh Sidhu and Pargat Singh, were present in the House.
The opposition parties have demanded an extension of the session that will conclude on March 10 as “the problems faced by Punjab and its people can’t be discussed in detail in eight sittings”.
Keeping the 2022 assembly polls in mind, both the key opposition parties do not want to miss the opportunity to highlight the Congress government’s “failures on various fronts” during the four-year rule as it is its last budget.
