Congress MLAs walk out of Punjab Assembly during governor's address

Chandigarh, Mar 6 (PTI) Congress MLAs raised slogans against the AAP government and staged a walkout from the Punjab Assembly during the governor's address here on Friday.

Despite Governor Gulab Chand Kataria requesting the opposition party's MLAs to raise their issues at a right time, the Congress legislators kept shouting slogans against the Bhagwant Mann government and later, walked out of the House.

After Kataria started reading out his address on the first day of the Assembly's Budget Session, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa rose from his seat and highlighted the issue of law and order in the state.

Kataria told the Congress leader that he will get time to raise such issues.

"You have the right to oppose, use it at a right time. This is my request," the governor told Bajwa.

While the Congress MLA refused to sit down and kept raising certain issues, Kataria resumed his address. After some time, the governor again requested Bajwa to use his right to oppose at a right time.

Congress MLAs, including Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Sukhwinder Kotli, who were sloganeering against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, then trooped to the Well of the House.

Hardly 17 minutes into the session, the Congress legislators staged a walkout.

Later, talking to reporters outside the House, Kataria said the governor's address showcases the achievements of the state government, besides talking about its future plans.

The governor said he tried his best to ensure that all MLAs listened to his address.

"But perhaps they did not have that intention and that is why they walked out," he said, referring to the Congress MLAs.

"My request even now is that as much as you mark your issues on the floor of the House, you will be in advantage, but if you do not use the floor for recording your issues, it is your loss," he said.

Bajwa said they walked out of the House to protest against the alleged failures of the AAP government.

He hit out at Punjab ministers Aman Arora and Harpal Singh Cheema for holding a press conference instead of attending the governor's address in the House.

Arora condemned the Congress MLAs for walking out of the House.

He listed the achievements of the AAP government, including giving 60,000 government jobs and action against gangsters and drug smugglers.

Finance Minister Cheema too slammed the Congress MLAs for walking out of the House, despite the fact that the governor requested them twice to listen to his address. PTI CHS RC