Congress MLAs walk out of Assembly

Congress party MLAs in Punjab on Tuesday staged a walkout of the Vidhan Sabha during Punjab governor Kaptan Singh Solanki’s address, on the opening day of the last Budget Session of the SAD-BJP government.

Congress MLAs, wearing symbolic black bands, walked out while raising slogans against the government for its inability to speak up against the Centre’s move of filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court favouring early completion of SYL canal — a move which will give more water to the neighbouring state of Haryana.

Congress sees filling of the affidavit as Centre’s stand against Punjab’s termination of the Water Agreements Act of 2005.

Earlier Tuesday over a dozen Congress MLAs wearing black bands and carrying black flags, began a march from the high court roundabout to the Punjab Assembly. When stopped outside the Vidhan Sabha gate one of the legislators, Amrinder Warring, scaled the barbed wire fence to open the gate for other MLAs to enter. The CM pacified them and urged them to allow other MLAs to enter. There was a five minute delay in the governor’s address.