Chandigarh, Sep 22 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said the state government has now decided to summon a session of the Assembly on September 27 to discuss various issues pertaining to the state.
In a statement, the Chief Minister said the government will approach the Supreme Court against the arbitrary and anti-democratic decision of the Governor to cancel the permission of holding a special session of the Vidhan Sabha after giving permission for it.
He said it is an unfortunate move and they will move to the apex court against this irrational decision.
Mann asserted that this decision will be challenged in the Supreme Court for safeguarding the democratic rights of the people and federal rights of the states.
Training his guns against the Punjab Congress for supporting 'Operation Lotus' of the BJP, the Chief Minister said it is ironic that the Congress, which is the biggest victim of this undemocratic operation, is standing by the side of the saffron party.
He said the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP were hand in glove for this sinister move aimed at toppling the democratically elected government of Punjab.
Mann unequivocally said that the Congress and the BJP have marginalized regional parties, adding that now they want that power should remain confined between them only.
However, the Chief Minister said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken birth from an anti-corruption crusade and the party under the leadership of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is gaining momentum with every passing day.
He categorically said they will oppose every anti-democratic move and will not be threatened by pressure tactics.
Mann envisioned that Punjab will send a message to the entire country that in democracy people and not any individual is supreme.
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has raised the banner of revolt against Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, met former party chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday evening soon after meeting party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
After attending the recent all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, two former chief ministers of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti stood miles apart.
A delegation of Sikh leaders on Tuesday met Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy over the recent incident of forcible religious conversion of two Sikh girls in the Kashmir valley and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday favoured the need to start breeding crocodiles in the state's rivers, especially the Beas and the Sutlej, as they were found in abundance six decades ago.
Facing massive statewide agitation by farmers over power outages, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday issued directions to ensure eight-hour uninterrupted power supply and to purchase deficient power from outside the state at any cost to prevent any supply disruption in the ongoing sowing season.
