CHANDIGARH: In a fiery exchange on the floor of the Punjab Assembly, AAP ministers unleashed a scathing attack on the Congress party for boycotting the Governor’s address. Cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora, and Harbhajan Singh ETO labeled the move as a blatant insult to the House and Punjab’s 75-year-old parliamentary traditions.
The ministers accused Congress of resorting to desperate tactics through sloganeering and disruptions to divert attention from the state’s developmental achievements. ‘This is nothing but a frustrated attempt to overshadow our progress,’ Cheema declared in a strongly worded statement.
Cheema highlighted the stark contrast between the previous Congress regime, infamous for promoting liquor, sand, and transport mafias over public welfare, and the current AAP government’s focus on fiscal discipline and genuine development. He warned that Congress, already wiped out in states like Delhi and Bihar, faces a similar fate in the upcoming Punjab elections due to its anti-people and anti-Dalit stance.
Despite the Governor’s repeated appeals to sit, listen, and participate in discussions, Congress MLAs persisted with their boycott, exhibiting what the ministers called ‘utter disregard for constitutional propriety.’
The criticism intensified over Congress’s treatment of Dalit leaders, with ETO’s example cited prominently. A qualified civil servant who joined AAP to serve the masses, ETO was derogatorily compared to ‘band bajaa’ by Congress leaders. AAP’s retaliation with a band performance left Congress leaders fuming, exposing their arrogance.
Aman Arora, AAP’s state president and minister, described the Congress antics as a ‘shameful spectacle’ and a direct assault on democratic norms. He emphasized that the Governor’s speech has historically served as a vital report card on the state’s performance and a roadmap for the future, making the boycott all the more deplorable.