Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu outside the Assembly in Chandigarh on Wednesday. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)
SHIROMANI AKALI Dal (SAD) MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu was allegedly manhandled by Congress MLAs in the House on Wednesday, when he went and stood opposite Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, raising slogans. The minister took exception to the “abusive language” used by Tinu against him.
On the last day of the Assembly Budget session, Tinu was protesting against Speaker Rana K P Singh during Zero Hour, carrying placards with slogans against the Speaker and the finance minister. Tinu had written these slogans while sitting in the House after he got into an argument with the Speaker for not getting permission to speak.
After protesting in the well of the House and raising slogans, the SAD MLA then stood in front of the treasury benches, shouting slogans. While he was shouting in front of the seats of Manpreet Badal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra, the former confronted Tinu.
This led to Congress MLAs rushing towards Tinu.
Akali MLAs Dr Sukhwinder Kumar and Gurpartap Singh Wadala then rushed to Tinu’s aid and separated the Congress MLAs milling around him.
Amid the commotion, the Speaker adjourned the House for a brief period. Even during the period of adjournment, while Tinu made his way out of the House, threats were allegedly hurled against him by Congress MLAs and he was seen replying to them. His fellow SAD MLAs escorted Tinu out of the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra introduced a privilege motion against Tinu, which was passed, and the incident was referred to the privilege committee of the House.
Addressing a press conference outside the House, Tinu alleged that he had been verbally abused by the finance minister and that Congress MLAs had not only manhandled him but also threatened to break his legs.
The SAD legislative wing urged the Speaker to take action against Congress legislators who, they allege, had “abused, humiliated and manhandled” the MLA.