Chandigarh, January 17, 2020 (Yes Punjab News)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Punjab, protested against the ruling Congress government on the second day of the two-day special session over the expensive electricity in the state, in and outside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
The party MLAs led by Punjab unit president and parliamentarian Bhagwant Mann staged a ‘dharna’ on Friday outside the Assembly building amid sloganeering over the one-sided power purchase agreements (PPOs) with private power companies demanding their immediate cancellation to bail out the beleaguered consumers from the financial mess.
The AAP leaders, along with Bhagwant Mann, accused SAD President and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal of giving teeth to the power mafia in the state and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of surrendering before the mighty power mafia ruling the roost.
Later, Leader of Opposition (LoP), Harpal Singh Cheema, along with Aman Arora and Meet Hayer, leading the power movement in Punjab, and other MLAs tried to enter the Assembly Hall through the main gate holding effigies and toy Teddy-bears, the security staff manhandled the AAP leaders, which Cheema described as the height of dictatorship on the part of the government in the saddle.
After paying tributes to the departed souls in the House, when the Minister concerned proposed not to move any resolution or notice, AAP MLAs rose on their seats amid sloganeering in protest over the rejection of the call attention motion proposed by Sunam MLA Aman Arora to abrogate PPAs with the private power companies.
This was followed by a walkout by the AAP MLA under the leadership of Harpal Singh Cheema. Prominent amongst others who staged walkout comprised Principal Budh Ram, Aman Arora, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Prof. Baljinder Kaur, Rupinder Kaur Ruby, Meet Hayer, Jai Singh Singh Rouri, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, and Kulwant Singh Pandori (All MLAs), and master Baldev Singh.
Later, while interacting with the media on this occasion, Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora, Meet Hayer, Prof. Baljinder Kaur and Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, accused Captain Amarinder Singh and Badal of being in cahoots with each other running the power mafia, fathered by Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The AAP leaders said that by disallowing to bring about resolution against the powerful power companies left nothing to speculation that both Captain and the Badals were tandem with the mafia offering protective patronage to it.
Reacting to the Capt government’s announcement to bringing a white paper on the expensive electricity, Cheema said that it should mull immediate roll back on the high electricity rate, saying the at unless the PPAs were not revoked, people would continue to face the heat of hefty power bills.
