Speaker's relative involved in illegal mining: LIP MLA

Lok Insaf Party (LIP) MLA Simarjit Singh Bains today accused a relative of Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh of being involved in illegal mining in the state, leading to a heated exchange between him and the ruling party members.

During the discussion on the governor's address on the second day of the Budget Session of the Assembly, Ludhiana MLA Bains claimed that Punjab was in the grip of several mafias, including sand, cable and transport mafias.

He also alleged that a relative of the speaker was involved in illegal mining.

Responding to the accusation, the speaker told Bains, It is your allegation.

Intervening through a point of order, Congress' Khushaldeep Singh Dhillon condemned the accusations levelled by Bains against the speaker and asked him to shun the practice of making false allegations.

We should condemn this (the allegations)What proof do you have? This is not the way, he said.

Another ruling party MLA Gurkirat Kotli also described the allegation of Bains as condemnable and reminded the LIP legislator that the speaker was the custodian of the House.

A heated exchange ensued between Bains and the Congress legislators, following which the LIP MLA and his brother Balwinder Singh Bains staged a walkout.