The ongoing two-day special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha turned into a political battleground on Friday, as tensions flared between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Opposition. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann delivered a sharp rebuke to Leader of the Opposition, Pratap Singh Bajwa, triggering an uproar in the House and exposing the deepening rift between the two political sides.
As CM Mann began his speech, members of the Opposition began protesting loudly, disrupting the proceedings. Responding to the commotion, the Chief Minister took a direct jab at Bajwa, suggesting that the Congress leader lacked an understanding of Punjabi idioms, possibly due to his education background. “The idioms of Punjabi won’t be changed because of you,” Mann said, mocking Bajwa’s repeated objections to cultural references used during debates. He also questioned Bajwa’s tendency to link every political point to religion, urging him to engage with policy and governance matters instead.
The chaos in the Assembly reached a peak early in the day when Congress members staged a walkout following a heated exchange. Opposition leaders raised slogans against the Mann government, accusing it of failing to uphold procedural norms such as the Zero Hour. Speaking to the media after the walkout, Pratap Singh Bajwa alleged that the government had failed to allow homage to slain cloth trader Sanjay Verma, a matter the Opposition had insisted should be acknowledged.
The session continued to witness pointed confrontations. Bajwa criticized the government for treating the Assembly as a political stage rather than a forum for genuine legislative debate. He questioned the removal of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) from the security of critical installations like Nangal Dam, while ironically pointing out that the same CISF continues to guard the Vidhan Sabha complex, even during the session. “If the state trusts Punjab Police enough to guard dams, why is the Assembly still under CISF protection? Is the government afraid?” Bajwa asked, challenging the government’s double standards on the issue of state security.
Further sparking controversy, the AAP government announced that it would introduce five bills during the session, including one aimed at enhancing the punishment for sacrilege of religious scriptures — a subject of recurring emotional and political debate in Punjab. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, in another heated moment, took on Bajwa over the issue of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s stay in Punjab’s jails during the previous Congress regime. Cheema also brought up an old viral video involving BJP leader Bikram Majithia, accusing the Opposition of hypocrisy. “Bajwa once said Majithia should be dragged with a noose. Now he questions his arrest,” Cheema fired, exposing the contradictory stands within the Congress ranks.
The day’s proceedings reflected not just the political tug-of-war between the ruling and opposition benches, but also the broader ideological battle over governance, public safety, and Punjab’s fragile law and order narrative. The debates were peppered with sharp retorts, personal jibes, and dramatic walkouts — hallmarks of a deeply polarized Assembly.
As the Mann government prepares to table its much-talked-about sacrilege bill and other key legislation, all eyes remain fixed on how the session will conclude. With accusations of drama from the Opposition and calls for legislative focus from the ruling front, Punjab’s special Assembly session has once again put the spotlight on the volatile nature of state politics.
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