Stormy start to Punjab assembly budget session, Congress walks out

The budget session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha got off to a stormy start on Friday as the opposition Congress staged a walkout during governor Gulab Chand Kataria’s inaugural address, while the treasury benches held a symbolic musical protest outside the House.

The session began on a turbulent note when Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa interrupted governor Kataria’s speech shortly after it commenced. Bajwa raised the issue of deteriorating law and order and recent killings in the state, drawing immediate fire from the treasury benches.

Despite the governor’s attempts to pacify the LoP, urging him to raise these concerns during the dedicated discussion period, Congress legislators descended into the well of the House raising slogans against the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government. The protest culminated in a walkout by the Congress, boycotting the remainder of the governor’s address.

Outside the Vidhan Sabha, the atmosphere was equally charged. Cabinet minister Harbhajan Singh ETO led a demonstration against Bajwa for his controversial “band” remark. AAP leaders and workers brought a live wedding band to the protest site to mock the LoP’s previous statement where he referred to the minister’s father’s profession as a bandmaster.

“He used to play in a band before; we will take him to task,” Bajwa reportedly said last month.

Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO demanded an unconditional apology, stating that the remark insulted honest, hard-working individuals. While the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission has summoned Bajwa over the matter, the LoP has maintained that his comments had no casteist undertones.

Historic Sunday budget

Amid the political fireworks, the 11-day session is significant as it marks the AAP government’s final full budget before the 2027 assembly elections. The opposition plans to corner the government over Punjab’s mounting public debt, which has now crossed ₹4 lakh crore.

Finance minister Harpal Cheema is scheduled to present the budget on Sunday, March 8, coinciding with International Women’s Day.

This will be the first time in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha that a budget is presented on a Sunday.

The government is expected to focus on its welfare initiatives and guarantees as it prepares for the assembly elections. Cheema said, “We have made significant gains in the last four years. Whether it’s excise or GST, when the Congress government was in power, its treasury received ₹27,395 crore in excise revenue. To date, in 46 months, we have received ₹37,975 crore. Furthermore, if I talk about GST, when the Congress government was in power, they only brought in ₹61,000 crore, but during our four-year tenure, we have recorded revenue of ₹83,000 crore.”