Ruling AAP to take on Opposition for ‘extending support’ to Majithia

The Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s two-day special session that begins on Thursday is expected to be a stormy affair, with the Treasury benches preparing to take on the Opposition parties for “supporting” Akali leader Bikram Majithia, arrested on the alleged charges of amassing assets from drug trade.

The ruling party will also try to corner the Opposition for giving the Centre the right to deploy the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Bhakra Nangal dams when in power.

Not to take things lying low, the Opposition parties are training their guns at the government on the issue of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state and increasing gangsterism.

These debates will be held on Friday, as Thursday’s session is expected to end with just Obituary References. Non-Official business and resolutions can be taken up on Thursdays if these are sent 15 days prior to the session. In this case, the session was announced only last week, leaving just five days before the start of the session. As a result, though five Non-Official Resolutions have been received by the Vidhan Sabha secretariat, none can be taken up on Thursday.

On Friday, the government will also be bringing an official resolution against the deployment of the CISF at the BBMB dams, and taking potshots at the Opposition Congress for allowing this deployment of the Central force at the dams in 2021. All eyes in the session will be on the two SAD MLAs, Ganieve Kaur Majithia, who will have to defend herself, her family and her party after the arrest of her husband, from the onslaught of the ruling party. The AAP is planning to use this session for projecting the Akali Dal in a poor light by alleging that drug mafia prospered during its rule. Since one MLA of the SAD, Dr Sukhwinder Sukhi, has joined the AAP and the third MLA, Manpreet Singh Ayali, has also rebelled, it remains to be seen if the latter will defend his party.

But the most important issue to be taken up in the Special Session is the new bill that will allow harsher punishment for sacrilege, under different sections of Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The state government will be bringing its own law that will give harsher punishment for those indulging in any act of sacrilege towards any religion. It is still being debated if the punishment would be death sentence or life imprisonment.

The Tribune has learnt that though provisions exist in the BNS – Section 298 and 299 – that deal with the offences related to sacrilege, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has announced that his government wants to introduce capital punishment for sacrilege. But even if the state government brings its own law, it will still have to be sent to the Governor and later to the Centre for the final nod. Within the government, there is discussion if the new law could become repugnant since the BNS already had provisions for punishment for offences related to sacrilegious acts.

The need to bring in the law arose after the Indian Penal Code (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018, passed during the term of previous Congress government, was returned back to the state recently, asking the state to frame the law as per the provisions of the BNS, since it has replaced the archaic IPC.

Sacrilege law on anvil

An important issue to be taken up in the session is the new bill that will allow harsher punishment for sacrilege under different sections of Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita. The state government will be bringing its own law that will give harsher punishment to those indulging in any act of sacrilege towards any religion

Punjab