Chaos broke out in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday leaving two legislators injured, IANS reported. MLAs belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal were suspended by the Speaker for the day after they chanted slogans in the House.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Sarabjit Kaur Manuke had to be taken to the hospital after she fell unconscious on being hit in the head during the scuffle with the marshalls, Hindustan Times reported. AAP MLA Manjit Singh was also hospitalised after he was injured in the melee.
The scuffle broke out after suspended AAP chief whip Sukhpal Khaira and Lok Insaaf Party MLA Simerjeet Singh Bains were stopped from protesting outside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Thursday morning. The two legislators were suspended till the end of the Budget session last week by Speaker Rana KP Singh. While Bains had been barred from the House because he threw papers at the Speaker on June 15, Khaira was suspended for uploading a video of a ruckus from inside the Assembly on June 16.
AAP MLAs, led by HS Phoolka, protested and rushed to the well of the House when the speaker ordered the marshalls to force the MLAs out of the Assembly. AAP lawmaker Piramal Singh Dhaula alleged that his turban had come off when he along with other party legislators was manhandled by the marshalls.
After the protesting MLAs were removed from the House, the SAD legislators protested against the way AAP leaders were treated. All SAD MLAs, including Sukhbir Singh Badal, Bikram Singh Majithia were marshalled out of the Assembly on the speaker’s orders.
CM Singh accuses AAP and SAD of hooliganism
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday accused the protesting MLAs of indulging in ‘hooliganism’ and violating the sanctity of the House. He also doubted that the AAP and the SAD were conspiring together to disrupt the proceedings of the session.
“Instead of utilising the Question Hour for raising their issues, they are indulging in political gimmickry to hog the limelight and to remain in the news,” he said, according to PTI.
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