Partap Singh Bajwa Says Congress To Seek Akal Takht's Nod Before Assembly Session

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, announced on Saturday that the Congress party would seek formal permission from Akal Takht acting Jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on whether its MLAs could attend the upcoming monsoon session of the Punjab Assembly. The move comes in light of an Akal Takht edict that had declared Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as "Guru Dokhi" and "Panth Virodhi." The Assembly's monsoon session is scheduled to run from August 3 to 10, and Bajwa said the party would specifically ask whether its legislators could interact with the Chief Minister during proceedings in view of the religious edict. He also raised concerns over whether the opposition would be granted sufficient time during the session to raise public issues and demand answers from the state government.

Bajwa said the Congress intended to raise several pressing issues during the session, including the pending dearness allowance (DA) owed to government employees, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's alleged failure to deliver on its election promises, the state's growing debt burden, and recent police action against MGNREGA and sanitation workers. His remarks came while addressing the media during a Congress delegation's visit to meet sanitation workers injured during a police crackdown in Barnala. The delegation included former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Member of Parliament Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and MLAs Rana Gurjeet Singh and Kuldeep Singh Kala Dhillon, among other party leaders.

Addressing the police action in Barnala, Bajwa demanded strict measures against those responsible for Wednesday's lathicharge on protesting sanitation workers, calling for criminal cases to be registered against all police personnel involved. He argued that the suspension of a Deputy Superintendent of Police was an inadequate response, alleging that officers facing such punishment are frequently reinstated within a couple of months and often go on to receive more favorable postings. Drawing a comparison, Bajwa also referred to earlier protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the NEET-UG paper leak, in which AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister Mann, and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains had criticized police action against demonstrators, even as the Punjab government ordered a lathicharge against protesting workers within the state.

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Notably, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring did not accompany the delegation to Barnala. Earlier in the day, Warring had reiterated his demand for criminal action against all police personnel involved in the lathicharge, appealing to Congress workers through a live video on Facebook to gather in Barnala in support of the sanitation workers. He also questioned the role of the duty magistrate during the police action and called for accountability from the Barnala Senior Superintendent of Police, alleging that the lathicharge had been carried out under instructions from senior officers. Warring added that he planned to visit Barnala later in the evening to take part in a candle march in solidarity with the affected workers.

When asked about Warring's absence from the delegation, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi declined to comment on the matter, stating that discussing internal party issues would distract attention from the core concern — the sanitation workers' agitation and the police response to it. He emphasized that the focus should remain squarely on the workers and their grievances. Separately, former minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet) leader Parminder Singh Dhindsa also joined the ongoing protest by sanitation workers stationed outside the Municipal Corporation office in Barnala, adding further political weight to the demonstration.

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