Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. (File)Amid an ongoing tussle between the Raj Bhavan and the Punjab government, the Opposition parties — Congress and the BJP — Saturday hit out at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party calling it “a party of anarchists” and accusing it of entering into an “unnecessary confrontation with the Governor”.
The row between the Raj Bhavan and the AAP government escalated Friday after Governor Banwarilal Purohit sought a list on the legislative businesses to be taken up in the proposed Assembly session on Tuesday, sparking a strong reaction from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who said it was “too much”. Purohit had earlier in the week come under fire after he had foiled the state government’s plan to summon a special Assembly session on September 22 to bring a “confidence motion”.
Punjab BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma alleged that the AAP government was “deliberately trying to sabotage and undermine the Constitution of the country by maliciously targeting the Governor, who is the Constitutional head of the state”.
Addressing media, Sharma alleged that “the AAP was living up to its reputation of being a party of anarchists and anarchy was their mission and purpose.”
“Otherwise what is the point in adopting a combative and confrontationist attitude towards the Governor who has only raised constitutional queries, which he is entitled and authorized to do under the Constitution of the country,” he added.
“Under the Constitution of the country, the Governor was duty bound to raise the queries, which he had raised. What is the problem in telling him about the agenda of the special Vidhan Sabha session the AAP government is trying to convene?,” Sharma asked.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, “The AAP government has made an issue of false prestige, otherwise why should there be any problem in replying to some queries raised by the Governor, which he is constitutionally entitled to.”
“When the state government should be busy with pressing priorities like law and order, precarious financial situation, unemployment, farmers’ suicides etc, it has unnecessarily opened a front against the Governor, Warring added.
The PCC president said that this was being done by the AAP government to divert public attention from its failures as “at the very first instance, there was no point in bringing in a vote of confidence motion when nobody had challenged their majority.”
He said was natural for the Governor to seek clarity on the agenda, “since the AAP government had remained vague and ambiguous”.
“On one hand the government says it will approach the Supreme Court against cancellation of the special sitting and on the other hand it is trying to convene another session with a hidden agenda,” Warring said.
He also referred to the Governor’s letter to the CM where he had read out the relevant articles of the Constitution to him.
“This is something unprecedented for which the AAP government is squarely responsible,” Warring said, while telling the government, “you like it or not, Governor is the Constitutional head of the state and you are responsible to him and owe it to him to provide all the relevant information he asks for”.