29 March 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): The performance of opposition Congress–during the eight-day Budget session of the Punjab Assembly–which concluded on Friday, fell short of expectations.
While Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh did manage to raise some important issues, the majority of Congress MLAs failed to take an aggressive stance on key concerns facing Punjab.
The Congress had initially made its presence felt by raising the brutal assault on serving Army Colonel Pushpinder Singh Batth and the crackdown on farmers during the Governor’s address.
However, the party struggled to maintain that momentum throughout the session.
The Congress also attempted to counter the AAP government’s narrative of ‘bulldozer justice’ in its fight against drugs.
Bajwa raised concerns about AIG Rajit Singh’s alleged links with the drug mafia and demanded that the Chief Minister and all MLAs undergo a dope test as part of a statewide drug census.
However, the party was unable to sustain pressure on these issues.
The ruling AAP party strategically managed to control the debate by preventing firebrand leader and Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira from speaking, opting instead to give time to MLA Pargat Singh and Independent MLA Inder Partap Singh.
This move worked in the AAP’s favour, as the Congress responded by staging a walkout.
The AAP used this opportunity to highlight divisions within the Congress ranks.
When the Congress members staged a walkout over Khaira’s exclusion, Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh refrained from joining the protest.
His colleagues were seen attempting to convince him to participate, which he eventually did, though reluctantly. Rana and Khaira have had past disagreements, which further fueled tensions.
Meanwhile, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan allowed Independent MLA Rana Inder Partap, son of MLA Rana Gurjeet, to speak, further irritating Khaira.
On Thursday, the entire zero hour, which could have been used to address issues related to the Budget, was instead consumed by walkouts, with Congress staging protests three times over the issue of Khaira being denied a chance to speak.
A senior party leader indicated that Congress MLAs had been instructed to be more assertive during the session, following a meeting chaired by Bhupesh Baghel, All India Congress Committee General Secretary in charge for Punjab. However, the party’s performance in the House failed to live up to this directive.
Defending the party’s performance, Bajwa questioned the fairness of the proceedings, claiming that the Opposition was not given enough time to raise issues. “The rules for the conduct of business were being violated. After being allotted time, Sukhpal Khaira was not allowed to speak. Our voice was stifled throughout the proceedings due to the brute majority of the ruling party. The issues we wanted to raise in the House were instead raised outside, as we were not given the platform to speak,” he said.
Summary: Opposition Congress underperformed during Punjab’s Budget session, with infighting and missed opportunities to address key issues.