'Black day' in politics, says Punjab minister on Governor's decision

Chandigarh, Sep 22 (IANS) Condemning the decision of Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to withdraw his assent for holding a special Assembly session, state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday called it a "black day" in the history of Indian politics.

Cheema told the media here that the way the Governor acted on the directions of the BJP and withdrew the permission for the special Assembly session indicated that the BJP "is trying to crush the country's Constitution and the institutions based on the beliefs of B.R. Ambedkar".

Accusing Purohit of working at the behest of the BJP, he said the former sought permission from the Additional Solicitor General after ignoring the Punjab Attorney General's office to withdraw his earlier order.

On the other hand, the Aaam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann "is following the constitution of India in letter and spirit," Cheema added.

The Minister asserted that the AAP will not bend before the BJP as the Congress did.

The AAP government has now convened an Assembly session on September 27 to protect democracy and the country's constitution, he said, adding that during this Assembly session, the issues of electricity and stubble burning will be discussed.

Attacking the Congress for skipping Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh during its 'Bharat Jodo' campaign, Cheema said that the former have surrendered before the BJP and working as their spokespersons to avoid investigation by central probe agencies.

Slamming the saffron party, the Punjab Minister said the BJP is afraid of the growing popularity of AAP and they have now accepted this fact that only Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP is going to defeat the Central government in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"It is proved beyond doubt that today the BJP is only scared of the AAP. They somehow want to halt the progress of our party. But I want to reiterate that the BJP will never be successful in its divisive agenda and soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal will continue to work for the betterment of the country," Cheema added.

Launching a scathing attack on the Opposition, the Punjab Minister said the Congress leaders, including Opposition leader Partap Singh Bajwa, are working as a 'B-team' of the BJP.

Instead of supporting the AAP government, which is fighting against their (BJP's) nefarious agenda of 'Operation Lotus', the Congress leadership "is relentlessly supporting the BJP on this issue and questioning the state government".