“She corrected herself. She is not a member of the House. You even target my daughter. Ae bakwas karda yeh banda (this guy is talking nonsense),” Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann exclaimed during a tumultuous Labour Day session in the Punjab Assembly.
The session, intended to honor workers, quickly devolved into chaos as opposition members demanded an alcohol test for Mann. The call came after he confronted Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira for using a mobile phone during proceedings. This incident sparked heated confrontations between AAP and Congress MLAs.
Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan rejected the demand for an alcohol test, but the tension escalated. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa supported the call, insisting that all legislators, including Mann, should undergo breath analyzer tests. “If left unaddressed, risks undermining public trust in this esteemed institution,” Bajwa stated.
As the debate intensified, BJP leader Sunil Jakhar added his voice to the fray, stating that if someone enters a temple or gurudwara under the influence of alcohol, it’s contempt and disrespect. Amidst this turmoil, the Congress staged a walkout from the House.
The Aam Aadmi Party government moved a confidence motion in the assembly and passed it unanimously despite the uproar. However, multiple walkouts followed from both BJP and Akali Dal MLAs as they joined their Congress counterparts in protest.
Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal accused Mann of appearing in the assembly ‘drunk’, further fueling the controversy. Aman Arora from AAP condemned these allegations as baseless: “The Congress has been making frivolous remarks, which is unfortunate and amounts to adding salt to the wounds of workers.”
The session was meant to pay tribute to Punjab’s working class on Labour Day but instead highlighted ongoing political tensions within the assembly. The atmosphere remains charged as officials have not confirmed whether further actions will be taken regarding these allegations.
