The Punjab Budget presentation in the state Assembly by Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal was briefly delayed on Friday as he could not reach in time following a protest by SAD legislators outside his residence here.
As a result, Speaker Rana K P Singh adjourned the House for 20 minutes.
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The Akalis led by senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia held a protest outside the official residence of Badal over the issue of farmers' suicide. Some families of victim farmers were also part of the protest.
During the Question Hour, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra informed the Assembly that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLAs allegedly gheraoed the residence of Badal.
He expressed fear that the Budget could not be presented if the situation continued.
Mohindra sought to bring a privilege motion against the SAD MLAs for preventing Badal from coming to the Assembly.
"It is an unconstitutional situation," he said, adding, "It is a budget for Punjab and meant for people of the state".
To this, the Speaker said he will take up the matter with the Union Territory administrator.
At 10:58 am when Badal could not make it to the Assembly, the Speaker adjourned the House for 20 minutes.
Badal was scheduled to present the budget for 2020-21 in the Assembly on Friday at 11 am.
However, Badal reached the assembly after the House was adjourned.
The Chandigarh police forcibly removed the protesters from outside the house of Badal and protesters were later detained at a police station.
After the proceedings of the House resumed at 11:18 am, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister moved a privilege motion against SAD legislators for the breach of privilege.
Their (Akalis) action led to adjournment of the House, Mohindra said.
The motion was unanimously passed by the House and it was sent to the Privileges Committee.
Later, Badal presented his budget. SAD members were not present in the House at that time.
Meanwhile, five-time chief minister and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal, who visited the police station where Akalis were taken into preventive custody, expressed shock over the forcible removal of protesters by the police, saying, "It amounts to murder of democracy".
"Such an incident has never happened in the history of the state," he added.
Parkash Badal said all that the farm suicide victims' families wanted was a personal meeting with the finance minister. They wanted to request him to include the Congress government's commitment to give a job to one member from each victim family and a compensation of Rs 10 lakh in the state budget, he added.
"The finance minister could have come out and taken their representation. Instead of doing so, he let loose the police force on them," he said.
He also condemned the Chandigarh police, alleging that they misbehaved with victims' families and MLAs accompanying them.
The former CM also castigated the Congress government for moving a privilege motion againstSADlegislators.
Majithia allegedthat the Akali legislators were detained deliberately for the entire duration of the budget session as well as till the finance minister's press conference was not over.
"This is for the first time in the history of Punjab that opposition legislators have been prevented from participating in the budget session in such a manner. This is indeed a black day in the history of the Vidhan Sabha," said Majithia.
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