Punjab assembly: House sees unruly scenes over Sidhu Moosewala’s security cut - Hindustan Times
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Punjab assembly: House sees unruly scenes over Sidhu Moosewala’s security cut

By, Chandigarh
Mar 09, 2023 11:20 PM IST

The Punjab Assembly on Thursday witnessed unruly scenes after AAP and Congress legislators sparred over the issue of the withdrawal of the security cover of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was murdered last year.

The Punjab Assembly on Thursday witnessed unruly scenes after AAP and Congress legislators sparred over the issue of the withdrawal of the security cover of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was murdered last year.

Congress MLAs led by the leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa walked out of the Punjab assembly on Thursday to protest a remark by state rural development minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
Congress MLAs led by the leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa walked out of the Punjab assembly on Thursday to protest a remark by state rural development minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)

Congress MLAs led by the leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa walked out of the Punjab assembly on Thursday to protest a remark by state rural development minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal that the Akalis and their party had “played politics on the corpses of thousands of Punjabi youngsters”.

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Dhaliwal’s remark came during the zero hour when ruling Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and their Congress counterparts were locked in a verbal duel over the withdrawal of security to late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala last year in May, a day before he was murdered.

Raising the issue, Bajwa said, “CM’s media advisor Baltej Pannu and Aayushi (AAP’s media team manager) shared details of VIPs whose security had been withdrawn on social media last year, including that of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala who was murdered the next day”.

Moose Wala’s parents, according to Bajwa are also demanding the registration of a case against the two. State congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also demanded a registration case to “soothe the hearts” of Moose Wala’s parents. Despite attempts, Pannu was not available for comments.

Moose Wala, who unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections as the Congress candidate last year, was shot dead by gangsters on May 29, 2022, in Mansa district soon after it became public that his security had been curtailed.

Dhaliwal hit back at Warring and Bajwa who questioned the law-and-order scenario in the state, saying that their party and the Akalis “had played politics on the corpses of youngsters when they were in power”.

This led to chaos in the House as the Congress MLAs entered the well and raised slogans in protest, while AAP members countered them. Later, the Congress MLAs walked out. While the congress MLAs were protesting in the well of the house, Dhaliwal also raised slogans against the Congress party MLAs.

Meanwhile, Moose Wala’s parents Balkaur Singh and Charan Kaur have been seeking justice and sat in protest outside the assembly complex in Chandigarh on Tuesday. They are demanding a CBI probe into their son’s murder.

“For 10 months, nothing concrete has been done. Enough time has been given to the police and the administration to act. But the reality is the (murder) case is being suppressed. Crucial witnesses are being eliminated and nothing is going in our favour. So, we are forced to sit outside the Vidhan Sabha,” the singer’s father had said.

Dhaliwal today informed that house that CM Bhagwant Mann would meet Moosewala’s parents after March 20.

No compromise on law and order, Arora

Reacting to the law-and-order concerns raised by the congress MLAs, Housing and urban development minister Aman Arora said there was no compromise on the law and order.

Referring to Warring’s comment, he said: “If you say, registration of a case against Baltej Pannu and Aayushi would soothe the hearts of Moosewala’s parents, then a case against Congress president Warring should also be registered as a contractor Karan Kataria committed suicide by shooting himself after shooting his two children and wife,” said Arora adding that Kataria named Warring and his brother-in-law in the suicide note.

Kataria and his two children died, while his wife survived. In the incident that took place in February 2021, police filed a closure report into the abetment to suicide case against Warring, who was then transport minister then, and his brother-in-law Dimpy Vinayak in October of the same year.

“We understand the pain the parents of Moose Wala are going through,” he said, informing that 40 people have been nominated in the murder case out of which 29 have been arrested, two killed in an encounter with the police, six are out of the country and the process to extradite the alleged mastermind in the case gangster Goldy Brar from Canada has started.

Defending his government Arora, said the Moose Wala’s security was partially withdrawn, and at the time of the murder, he still had two persons attached. “He had a bulletproof vehicle, and on that unfateful day, he was driving an ordinary vehicle and was also not accompanied by two security guards,” added the minister, asking the opposition not to mislead the House.

Without taking any names, Arora said that the state neighbouring Punjab are breeding ground for gangsters. “They get trained there, and after committing a crime, they go back,” he said, adding that most of the shooters involved in killings in the recent past were juveniles.

Higher education minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer presented the data of the National crime records bureau in the House, to show that the crime rate in Punjab is less than the national average.

Later during the zero hour, AAP’s Baljinder Kaur, who has cabinet minister rank, asked the government to make arrangements for shifting residents of village Kanankwal, which is adjacent to the petroleum refinery in Bathinda. She said that the gases emitted from the refinery were the cause of ailments for the people living in the vicinity.

Congress party’s Aruna Chaudhary also raised the issue of cancellation of ration cards of poor people who are Congress party supporters on frivolous grounds, to which the food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak rejected the charges as without any basis as according to him deputy commissioners and SDMs are supervising the updation process.

Sidelights:

Early bird of the day

Social security and development of children and women minister Dr Baljit Kaur was first to arrive in the house. She was seen sitting and shuffling official files 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled time for the start of the house proceedings at 10 am.

Reprimand of the day

Speaker Vidhan sabha Kultar Singh Sandhwan ticked off members of the house asking them not to make running commentary while the proceedings are on. Don’t indulge in running commentary this causes a disturbance, and you are being watched by the people outside as the broadcast goes on uninterrupted.

Query of the day

Congress’ Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa asked that transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar about action against AAP’s Fatehgarh Churian halqa in charge Balbir Singh Pannu using a motorcycle registration number on his escort jeep.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Gurpreet Singh Nibber is an Assistant Editor with the Punjab bureau. He covers politics, agriculture, power sector, environment, Sikh religious affairs and the Punjabi diaspora.

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