A joint SAD-BJP legislature party delegation led by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today brought the tyrannical behavior of Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP to the notice of Governor VP Singh Badnore and requested him to convey his displeasure on this issue to the Congress government.Briefing the Governor, the SAD president said never before in the history of the Vidhan Sahba had the opposition been treated so ruthlessly. He said not only were opposition members beaten but even women members were injured and their clothes were torn by staff deputed to throw them out of the assembly by the Speaker. He said what was even more intolerable was that turbans of Sikh legislators were tossed and trampled upon.Requesting the Governor to take due notice of the unprecedented violence unleashed on the opposition by the Vidhan Sabha Speaker, the SAD president said “though the AAP legislators bore the brunt of this violence we are making our protest on the issue of principles. There is a manner to run the assembly.
During the last ten years of SAD-BJP rule no such action was ever taken by the Speaker. In fact there were instances when the opposition even occupied the Speaker’s chair and even sat in the Vidhan Sabha for the entire night. But still no action was initiated against them. This is the first session of the Vidhan Sabha. In this session only the Speaker has named 38 members and ordered they be taken out of the premises of the august house. This has never happened earlier”, he added.Mr Badal said all this happened because the SAD-BJP had submitted two privilege motions against finance minister Manpreet Badal. He said one motion sought proceedings against him for comparing farmers with beggars while another was regarding fudging of budgetary figures. “Instead of considering these, the Speaker passed an order expelling the entire opposition from the house”.The SAD president also made it clear that his party could never tolerate beadbi of the turban. “Even though this has happed with AAP mlas, we have protested against it. We would have done the same if it had happened with any Congress legislator”, he added.Senior BJP leader Som Prakash said the Speaker was adamant on taking action against opposition members and creating an atmosphere for violence to take place in the house. He said the Speaker came to the assembly and read out a typewritten order making it clear that he was not in a mood for running the house but was bent on taking action against the opposition.Besides member of the SAD-BJP legislature party, senior BJP leaders including former State president Kamal Sharma were present on the occasion.