Chandigarh: The Punjab Assembly turned into a battleground on Friday as Congress and Aam Aadmi Party MLAs confronted each other on the second day of the session.
During Question Hour, Congress MLAs raised the drug trade and law and order, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Carrying a letter of condemnation, they walked into the Well of the House. The treasury bench, led by Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, answered with counter-slogans. Cheema targeted Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira over his alleged involvement in a drugs case.
Outside the Vidhan Sabha, Congress MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa burnt an effigy of the Chief Minister and pressed their demand for his resignation.
Earlier, the House paid tributes to anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota during obituary references. Jhota was shot dead in broad daylight in Mansa on October 13, a killing that set off protests across the district.
AAP's Punjab unit chief Aman Arora challenged the Congress to spell out whether it would retain free electricity, financial aid for women and the Rs 10 lakh Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna if it wins the 2027 election. Pointing to remarks by MP Raja Warring, Arora said the signals suggested these benefits could end. There was no immediate response from the Congress.
Mansa remains tense ten days after Jhota's death. The state has handed the murder investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Jhota was shot dead in broad daylight in Mansa on October 13, and his body remains at the district civil hospital, with his family refusing a post-mortem until its demands are met. A Mansa court has sent the four accused — Ashwani Kumar, his wife Neelam Rani, and associates Vipin Kumar and Laadi — to judicial custody till November 5. The CBI has recorded statements from the family and questioned residents near the accused's homes. A local action committee is pressing a 10-point charter that includes the resignation of the Chief Minister and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav. Jhota's wife has said the family will not allow the post-mortem until the demands are met.