Opposition calls Punjab governor's address 'bundle of lies'

Opposition parties AAP, SAD and the BJP Wednesday described Governor V P Singh Badnore's address "a bundles of lies".

They targeted the Congress government on a host of issues, including farm debt waiver, unemployment and the law and order situation, even as ruling party legislators hailed the government's policies and programmes.

Responding to the governor's address on the second day of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha session here, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra attacked the government for rolling out "incomplete" farm loan waiver.

"Farmers who were anticipating debt waiver have been left in the lurch. The waiver is a farce and has not benefited anyone in the state," claimed Chandumajra.

The Punjab government has played a cruel joke by not paying outstanding dues of cane growers, he said.

Chandumajra took on the state government on the law and order situation. He said several teachers were beaten up by the police in Patiala, when they were protesting against the conditions for their regularisation.

"The governor's address was a complete bundle of lies," said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Budhram.

Budhram accused the state government of lowering the education standard in the state and claimed several government schools were registering poor results.

He expressed concern over the non-recruitment of teaching staff in government colleges. "No recruitment has been made in government colleges after 1996," he claimed.

Akali MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu castigated the state government for not providing winter uniforms to government school children despite the Centre providing funds for the same.

Lauding the state government for taking "several pro-people decisions" during its two-year regime, Congress legislator Raj Kumar Verka said the state government had provided major relief to distressed growers with implementation of farm debt waiver.

"So far Rs 4,500 crore of farm debt of small and marginal farmers has been waived," Verka told the House.

He took a swipe at Akali legislators on the issue of granting pardon to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in 2007 blasphemy case.

Another Congress MLA Harminder Singh Gill hailed the state government's action on the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report which probed 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents.

"A former SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma has been arrested and he will now reveal to investigators who gave the order of firing at peaceful anti-sacrilege protesters in Behbal Kalan in 2015 (which led to death of two persons)," said Gill.