Chandigarh: The budget session of the Punjab assembly which begins on June 14 would be a stormy affair as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is gearing up to corner the government over a host of issues, including farmers’ suicides, farm debt waiver and “mining mafia.”
“We will be taking up several burning issues like rising number of farmers’ suicides in the state. Non-implementation of farm debt waiver by the Congress-led government is also another issue which will be taken up during the budget session,” AAP MLA and leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha HS Phoolka said.
Phoolka, a Supreme Court lawyer, said the party would also highlight the “poor” education system in Punjab and demand doubling of budget allocation on education. The party will also demand filling vacant seats of teachers in government schools. “Sand mining mafia is another important issue which we will be raising in the assembly,” Phoolka said.
AAP, the main Opposition party in the state assembly, has also decided to give training to its first-time legislators in parliamentary exercises so that they can “effectively raise” burning issues in the House. A team of experts will also be attached with each legislator by the party to help them prepare for discussions in the assembly, he said.
Notably, opposition parties have been demanding sacking of Punjab minister Rana Gurjit Singh, who was facing the allegations of impropriety in the sand mining contracts. With a woman constable in Ludhiana committing suicide after allegedly being harassed by his colleague, AAP will be demanding that female staff in police should not be given duties during night, said Phoolka.
