Cong stages walkout twice in Punjab Assembly

Opposition Congress today staged walkout twice from Punjab Assembly accusing the Speaker of "muzzling" their voice and protesting the series of incidents of sacrilege that rocked the state last year.
The Congress members first walked out during the question hour and again when the zero hour was in progress.
As the question hour was in progress, Leader of Opposition Charanjit Singh Channi protested Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal's approach towards them by allegedly not providing them opportunity to express their views.
"You (Speaker) are muzzling our voices (Congress members)," Channi said.
"We are boycotting the question hour," he said and went out of the House along with his colleague Bharat Bhushan Ashu.

At the time only two Congress MLAs were sitting in the House.

However, after few minutes the entire Congress legislators returned back to the Assembly.
When the Speaker asked Congress MLA Surinder Kumar Dawar to ask his listed question, he stood up and refused to do so saying that "the entire Congress legislators have decided to boycott the question hour."
Channi along with Ashu walked out when a discussion was going in the fourth listed question on promotion of tourism put by Akali legislator Iqbal Singh Jhundan.
During the zero hour, Congress member Ajit Inder Singh Mofar drew the attention of the House towards incidents of sacrilege which rocked the state last year.

However, the Speaker intervened and told the House that a Commission had already been set up to inquire into the series of incidents of sacrilege.
However, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal
assured the House that the CBI has initiated a probe into one incident of sacrilege and rest are being investigated by the commission.
Irked by Speaker "not allowing" discussion on the matter, the Opposition Congress members went into the well of the House and raised slogans before trooping out of the assembly.
During the brief discussion on the incidents, Virsa Singh Valtoha of SAD alleged that Congress is raising the issue of sacrilege to get "political mileage".

Even as Congress members had walked out, there were sharp exchanges between members of treasury, including Valtoha and Independent MLAs Balwinder Singh Bains and Simrajit Singh Bains (both brothers).
Sukhbir stood up while urging the Speaker to control the proceedings of the House.
"It is the duty of the Speaker to control the proceedings in the House. I am shocked the way some members are arguing without the permission of the Chair," he said.
However, the Speaker snubbed Sukhbir asking him not to "insult" the Chair.
"What should I do when the members from treasury benches are raising voices without my permission," the Speaker told Sukhbir.

Earlier, Channi sought bringing a bill on de-acquisition of land of SYL and return it to farmers.
He also questioned why the Swaminathan Committee report on agriculture sector is not implemented.
Congress MLA Sunil Kumar Jakhar told the House that a person by the name of Neeraj had done fraud to the tune of Rs 800 crore from about 10,000 people in the name of providing plots to them in Abohar.
He said that the man is yet to be arrested as he is getting "political patronage".
However, Sukhbir assured that if there is any crime, the police will prosecute and the criminal can not go scot free.

Later, Jagir Kaur of SAD initiated the discussion on motion of thanks on the Governor's address.