Agitating SAD-BJP MLAs take seat as Amarinder Singh warns of 'revealing' names who got sand contracts

Chandigarh: Opposition SAD and BJP MLAs, who disrupted Punjab Assembly proceedings on Friday by storming the Well and raising anti-government slogans, went back to their seats after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh “warned” of revealing names who have got sand mining contracts. [caption id=“attachment_3705367” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. AFP[/caption] The “warning” came as the Opposition MLAs continued to disrupt the proceedings at the beginning of the third day of the budget session in Punjab Assembly in Chandigarh. “We do not want any more complications in the House. I’ve a list of 10 pages mentioning all the names who have got sand mining contracts. I can mention these names in one second here,” the chief minister said pointing to the protesting MLAs. After his “warning”, all the SAD and BJP MLAs returned to their seats. As the proceedings began, SAD MLAs led by former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, stormed the Well, demanding implementation of farm loan waiver. They continued to raise anti-government slogans even as Congress MLA Ajaib Singh Bhatti was elected as deputy speaker. Earlier, BJP lawmaker Som Prakash told the chief minister, SAD-BJP MLAs will return to their seats if an announcement regarding the loan-waiver is made by the government. “I have already informed that debt-waiver is a Congress party programme which will be implemented,” Amarinder said. Earlier, replying to a calling attention motion by Congress MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra on illegal operation of private buses, Amarinder said 401 such buses were found in the first fortnight of June. “The state government is committed to put an end to this malpractice. The state transport department is preparing a new scheme which will ensure permits are allotted in a transparent manner,” he said. “One family looted Punjab during the last 10 years. This family had eight buses in 1997-98 and now they have 350,” Nagra claimed. In his calling attention notice, Congress MLA Hardial Singh Kamboj drew the attention of education minister Aruna Chaudhary towards dismal results of Class X and Class XII exams. AAP MLAs staged a walkout over the suspension of one their party colleagues. Congress MLA Amarinder Raja Warring said that during the previous regime, the government earned Rs 280 crore from sand mining in six years. But under the Congress rule, the state would earn Rs 500 crore per annum. He came out in support of cabinet minister Rana Gurjit Singh, who faces facing charges of impropriety in sand mining, saying these were mere allegations which were yet to be proved by a court of law.