On a day when the Vidhan Sabha session began, inner wrangling within the SAD and BJP came to the fore during joint and separate meetings held by their legislators.
While three of the four BJP ministers — Madan Mohan Mittal, Anil Joshi and Surjit Jiyani — came under fire from own party MLAs, Akali legislators targed Adesh Pratap Kairon over deletion of over five lakh atta-dal beneficiaries from the list prepared by his Food and Supplies Department.
With the Opposition Congress training its guns on the Akali-BJP government, over lack of policy planning leading to the agrarian crisis and revelations of BJP leaders’ involvement in the drug trade, the real challenge for the ruling alliance is to keep its flock together and scuttle all charges against the government.
It is learnt that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, while devising the government strategy on dealing with the Opposition, will lead from the front, especially on paddy procurement and pesticide scam.
With elections to the Vidhan Sabha scheduled for early 2017, the fracas reported in the legislature party meetings today revealed the underlying nervousness in the alliance, holding party ministers responsible for failing to deliver on respective schemes and projects.
The targeting of BJP ministers by own MLAs reportedly came as a shock to party’s state chief Kamal Sharma, who was at the meeting to ensure his party MLAs and those of Akali Dal, backed him when the Opposition gunned for him over drug trade. His close aides have recently been arrested on charges of illicit drug trade.
Sources say during the meeting of the BJP Legislature Party, held before the Vidhan Sabha session began this afternoon, acrimonious scenes were witnessed when Industry Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Manoranjan Kalia got into an argument over imposition of 5 per cent cess on electricity.
Mittal wanted it to be debated on the floor of the House, to which Kalia retorted the House was not the right forum for taking up the matter. “You should have raised the BJP concerns at the Cabinet meeting, when these agendas were being passed? Why did you keep quiet there and raise the issue here,” he retorted to his one-time close aide Mittal.
Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Som Prakash tried to turn the heat on Mittal, saying funds for an ITI being constructed in Phagwara were not being released. Mittal reportedly tried to appease him by saying the total grant sanctioned for the ITI had been released, but since more funds were required, he would get the enhanced grants released. Several ministers and MLAs also complained against Local Bodies department, headed by Anil Joshi, saying the resolutions moved by local bodies in their constituencies were not being cleared by Joshi. Joshi was not present at the meeting.
At a joint meeting of BJP and Akali MLAs, BJP minister Jiyani came under fire from his own party MLA and CPS Navjot Sidhu. Sidhu reportedly walked up to the Chief Minister and complained that anganwadi centres were being run from home, without adequate staff or equipment and the government was being criticised for this. The Chief Minister, deflecting the attack on the government, reportedly asking her to raise her concerns with the minister concerned (Jiyani).
Many Akali MLAs targeted Adesh Pratap Kairon saying deletion of atta-dal beneficiaries would go against the government. Badal reportedly asked Kairon to look into the matter. Akali MLAs also raised concerns over the procurement of paddy and asked the Chief Minister to take necessary steps to ensure smooth paddy procurement.
While three of the four BJP ministers — Madan Mohan Mittal, Anil Joshi and Surjit Jiyani — came under fire from own party MLAs, Akali legislators targed Adesh Pratap Kairon over deletion of over five lakh atta-dal beneficiaries from the list prepared by his Food and Supplies Department.
With the Opposition Congress training its guns on the Akali-BJP government, over lack of policy planning leading to the agrarian crisis and revelations of BJP leaders’ involvement in the drug trade, the real challenge for the ruling alliance is to keep its flock together and scuttle all charges against the government.
It is learnt that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, while devising the government strategy on dealing with the Opposition, will lead from the front, especially on paddy procurement and pesticide scam.
With elections to the Vidhan Sabha scheduled for early 2017, the fracas reported in the legislature party meetings today revealed the underlying nervousness in the alliance, holding party ministers responsible for failing to deliver on respective schemes and projects.
The targeting of BJP ministers by own MLAs reportedly came as a shock to party’s state chief Kamal Sharma, who was at the meeting to ensure his party MLAs and those of Akali Dal, backed him when the Opposition gunned for him over drug trade. His close aides have recently been arrested on charges of illicit drug trade.
Sources say during the meeting of the BJP Legislature Party, held before the Vidhan Sabha session began this afternoon, acrimonious scenes were witnessed when Industry Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Manoranjan Kalia got into an argument over imposition of 5 per cent cess on electricity.
Mittal wanted it to be debated on the floor of the House, to which Kalia retorted the House was not the right forum for taking up the matter. “You should have raised the BJP concerns at the Cabinet meeting, when these agendas were being passed? Why did you keep quiet there and raise the issue here,” he retorted to his one-time close aide Mittal.
Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Som Prakash tried to turn the heat on Mittal, saying funds for an ITI being constructed in Phagwara were not being released. Mittal reportedly tried to appease him by saying the total grant sanctioned for the ITI had been released, but since more funds were required, he would get the enhanced grants released. Several ministers and MLAs also complained against Local Bodies department, headed by Anil Joshi, saying the resolutions moved by local bodies in their constituencies were not being cleared by Joshi. Joshi was not present at the meeting.
At a joint meeting of BJP and Akali MLAs, BJP minister Jiyani came under fire from his own party MLA and CPS Navjot Sidhu. Sidhu reportedly walked up to the Chief Minister and complained that anganwadi centres were being run from home, without adequate staff or equipment and the government was being criticised for this. The Chief Minister, deflecting the attack on the government, reportedly asking her to raise her concerns with the minister concerned (Jiyani).
Many Akali MLAs targeted Adesh Pratap Kairon saying deletion of atta-dal beneficiaries would go against the government. Badal reportedly asked Kairon to look into the matter. Akali MLAs also raised concerns over the procurement of paddy and asked the Chief Minister to take necessary steps to ensure smooth paddy procurement.
