Punjab LoP Bajwa alleges 'systematic undermining' of assembly through special sessions

Chandigarh, Dec 29 (PTI) Senior Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday wrote to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, expressing concern over the "systematic undermining" of the Vidhan Sabha through the substitution of regular sessions with selectively "curated special sessions".

The leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly urged Sandhwan to act as the constitutional custodian of the House and ensure at least 40 sittings annually, as mandated under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.

Bajwa's letter came on the eve of a one-day special session of the assembly called by the AAP government against the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, which replaced the UPA-era rural employment law MGNREGA.

In his letter, Bajwa said he has repeatedly drawn attention to the "alarming" reduction in the number of sittings of the House, but these warnings have been met with indifference.

He said what is unfolding is not a minor procedural lapse, but a serious "constitutional distortion" that strikes at the very core of legislative democracy.

Emphasising that the Vidhan Sabha exists to deliberate, question, scrutinise and hold the executive accountable, Bajwa said the "calculated" replacement of regular autumn and winter sessions with special sessions is "hollowing out" the legislature.

"Legislative time is shrinking, scrutiny is being evaded and the House is increasingly being reduced to a stage-managed spectacle rather than a genuine forum of democratic accountability," the LoP said.

It was particularly disturbing that this "erosion" was being carried out by a government whose leadership has long claimed the moral high ground on constitutional values, separation of powers and institutional integrity, Bajwa said.

"Those who once lectured the nation on constitutional morality are today presiding over a model that weakens the legislature and concentrates power in the executive," he added.

Stating that the demand for a minimum of 40 sittings annually was once raised by those in power today, Bajwa alleged that the principle had been "quietly abandoned".

The growing reliance on special sessions, often devoid of meaningful Question Hour, Zero Hour and substantive debate, has turned the assembly into a "controlled messaging platform driven by optics rather than accountability".

"At a time when Punjab faces serious challenges, including deteriorating law and order, the drug menace, stress on public health, groundwater contamination and rising debt, the House should be in continuous and serious session, not reduced to political theatrics," the Congress leader said.

Urging the Speaker to act as the constitutional custodian of the House, Bajwa called for convening full autumn and winter sessions, ensuring at least 40 sittings annually, and protecting Question Hour and Zero Hour from dilution. PTI CHS DIV DIV