Congress Walks Out In Punjab Assembly Over Alleged Misrepresentation of Khaira Remarks

Congress MLAs staged a walkout from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday amid a heated dispute over remarks attributed to party MLA Sukhpal Khaira. The confrontation erupted after the Speaker, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, asked Khaira to apologise before clarifying his comments regarding women volunteers celebrating financial aid provided by the Aam Aadmi Party government. Khaira refused to apologise, insisting that he stood by his remarks, prompting the Congress legislators to exit the House.

Outside the Assembly, opposition leaders accused the AAP of twisting facts to portray Khaira as having made disrespectful comments about women. As Congress MLAs spoke to the media, AAP women legislators confronted them, raising slogans and asserting that Khaira had insulted women, further heightening tensions.

Following the walkout, Congress leaders moved to their party office in the Vidhan Sabha complex. Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa stated that the party intended to bring a condemnation resolution against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for allegedly using derogatory language towards women. The resolution, which referenced terms like “Patola,” “tuhadi bhabi,” and “bharind,” was rejected by the Speaker.

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Bajwa also criticised the AAP government’s claims of focusing on education and healthcare, noting that the Chief Minister’s children reportedly do not attend government schools and that ruling party leaders rely on private hospitals rather than public healthcare facilities. “I wish good health to the Chief Minister, but he himself goes to a private hospital for treatment,” he added.

Khaira, who was not permitted to speak during proceedings in the House, told reporters that he had never insulted any woman. He said his only action was sharing a reel created by a Haryana-based YouTuber, Dhanoa. Khaira alleged that AAP’s “spin doctors” had manipulated the narrative to target him and the Congress party.

The incident underscores the heightened political tensions in Punjab, with opposition leaders accusing the ruling party of misrepresentation, while the AAP maintains that its women MLAs were defending the dignity of volunteers and constituents.

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