The Aam Aadmi Party is gearing up to corner the Punjab government over a host of issues, including farmers' suicides, farm debt waiver and "mining mafia", during the Amarinder Singh dispensation's maiden budget session which would begin on June 14.
The budget session is scheduled to commence at 2 PM on June 14 with obituary references and adjourn sine-die after the proposed legislative business on June 23.
"We will be taking up several burning issues like rising number of farmers' suicides taking place in the state. Non- implementation of farm debt waiver by the Congress-led government is also another issue which will be taken up during the budget session," AAP MLA and leader of opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harvinder Singh Phoolka said today.
"We want that the government should pay loan instalments of farmers till the debt waiver is announced in order to provide distressed grower immediate relief," he said.
Phoolka, a Supreme Court lawyer, said the party will also highlight the "poor" education system in Punjab and demand doubling of budget on education.
The party will also demand filling vacant seats of teachers in government schools for the standard of education in the state, he added.
"Sand mining mafia is another important issue which we will be raising in the assembly," Phoolka told PTI.
AAP, the main opposition party in the state assembly, has also decided to train several of its first-time legislators in parliamentary exercises so that they can "effectively raise" burning issues in the House.
A team of subject experts will also be attached with each legislator by the party to help them prepare for discussions in the assembly, he said.
Notably, opposition parties have been demanding sacking of Punjab Cabinet minister Rana Gurjit Singh, who was facing the allegations of impropriety in the sand mining contracts.
With a lady constable in Ludhiana committing suicide on June 9 after allegedly being harassed by his colleague, AAP will be demanding that female staff in police department should not be given duties during night, said Phoolka, the MLA from Dakha seat.
The party has also called Delhi MLA Sourabh Bhardwaj to train party's Punjab legislators in the wake of assembly session.
"A discussion and training programme will be held tomorrow here in which former minister and party Delhi MLA Sourabh Bhardwaj will train the legislators," said Phoolka.
"We have also decided to provide each MLA an expert on particular subject matter to assist legislator for participating in the discussion in the House.
"The person who will be attached with MLA will be an expert in his subject. He will provide facts and figures to the MLA to make their points effectively," said the leader of opposition.
Phoolka further said AAP MLA from Kharar Kanwar Sandhu will highlight where the state government failed.
"Sandhu will highlight what the government could have done in three months after coming to power," said Phoolka.
On June 13, a meeting has been called by the AAP and the Lok Insaaf Party to decide on the floor stragey during Vidhan sabha session.
Out of 20, 19 MLAs of AAP are the first-time legislators in Punjab. Only Sukhpal Khaira, MLA from Bholath had earlier remained legislator.
AAP along with Lok Insaaf Party had won 22 seats in the assembly elections.
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