Shoe hurled on last day of Punjab House session

The last day of the Punjab Assembly session ended on a chaotic note as the two-night dharna by a group of Congress MLAs, including women legislatures, came to an end after the session ended. The House also witnessed hurling of a shoe at the treasury benches and business papers at Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal on the concluding day of the Monsoon Session.

After two days of sit-in protest in the Assembly, agitated Congress MLAs again pressed for a discussion on the no-confidence motion moved by the party against the ruling SAD-BJP government in the state as the Speaker resumed House business. The House was adjourned for 15 minutes after Opposition Congress MLAs thronged the Well of the House. As the proceedings resumed, the Congress MLAs turned aggressive and started hurling copies of business papers and reports towards the Speaker.

It was during this chaos that Congress MLA Tarlochan Soondh hurled a shoe which fell on the table of revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia. Parliamentary affairs minister Madan Mohan Mittal deposited the shoe at the office of the Speaker, saying an inquiry would follow.

Later, reacting to the development, Mr Majithia called it a disgraceful act, adding that people would punish the Congress for this. He also sought Mr Soondh’s disqualification from the House.

A no-confidence motion had been moved by the Congress against the ruling SAD-BJP gocernment and was put to vote by the Speaker amidst utter pandemonium on Monday. The debate started with disruptions from the treasury benches from the very first sentence Leader of the Opposition Charanjit Singh Channi had uttered, targeting the Badal family while initiating the debate on no-confidence motion.

The Speaker rejected the motion by a voice vote without any discussion that provoked the Congress MLAs to stage a sit-in dharna in the Assembly Hall for two nights. Senior members and women were given the option to leave. However, four women members preferred to join their male colleagues. During the dharna, Congress MLA Ashwini Sekhri was hospitalised after his blood pressure and blood sugar level shot up.