Chandigarh, March 11: Congress MLAs staged a walkout from the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday after Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan directed MLA Sukhpal Khaira to tender an apology before being allowed to clarify his remarks. The confrontation began during a heated session where the ruling Aam Aadmi Party accused Khaira of making disrespectful comments regarding women beneficiaries of government financial aid.
The Speaker maintained that an apology was a prerequisite for Khaira to address the House, a demand the Congress legislator refused. Following the refusal, the opposition benches exited the assembly in protest. Outside the chamber, the situation remained tense as AAP women MLAs confronted the retreating Congress members with slogans, further accusing the opposition of failing to respect women.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa stated that the party had moved a condemnation resolution against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for allegedly using disparaging language during a public address on Sunday. Bajwa asserted that the Chief Minister had used inappropriate terms such as “Patola” and “tuhadi bhabi” when referring to women. However, the Speaker rejected the resolution, prompting further criticism from the opposition.
During a press briefing at the party office, Khaira declared that he had never insulted any woman and had merely shared a social media reel created by a YouTuber. He maintained that the ruling party’s “spin doctors” had twisted the facts to create a false narrative against him. Bajwa also questioned the government’s commitment to public services, noting that ruling party leaders often rely on private healthcare and schooling despite their public rhetoric on state-run institutions.
