Chandigarh: Tensions between Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition Congress boiled over on Tuesday after Congress MLAs were stopped from entering the legislative assembly premises.
The entire Congress contingent ultimately boycotted the final day of the Vidhan Sabha session in protest. Cabinet minister Harpal Cheema had moved the suspension resolution, accusing Khaira of using unparliamentary language against the Chair and disrupting proceedings during a protest over the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota.
Before the standoff at the gates, Congress MLAs—clad in black robes and holding placards—protested outside the assembly complex by burning brooms, the election symbol of the ruling AAP, while raising slogans against the government’s policies. The flashpoint follows the suspension of Khaira on Friday for the remainder of the session.
The blockade triggered an altercation between AAP MLA Jasvir Singh Raja Gill and senior Congress MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, outside the gates. The clash unfolded during a media briefing by health minister Dr Balbir Singh, who accused the opposition of deliberately disrupting his address to the press.
