Chandigarh: Leader of the opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Monday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the assembly speaker, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, of the systematic destruction of democratic safeguards and constitutional conventions through the appointment of ruling party MLAs as heads of crucial House committees.
Bajwa Criticizes PAC Appointment
Bajwa expressed displeasure over the appointment of an AAP legislator as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for the second consecutive year, calling it an unprecedented assault on the accountability framework of parliamentary democracy. He stated that the Public Accounts Committee exists to scrutinise the functioning and expenditure of the government. Across parliamentary democracies, it is an established convention that the PAC is headed by a member of the opposition to ensure independent oversight on the ruling dispensation. However, the AAP government has shamelessly converted even accountability institutions into political tools, said the Qadian MLA.
Congress Leader Recalls Past Recommendations
The Congress representative recalled that last year, he formally recommended the name of party MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra for the PAC chairmanship in his capacity as leader of the opposition. Ignoring democratic norms and legislative conventions, speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan arbitrarily appointed AAP MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar as chairman of the PAC. This year too, the same unconstitutional and partisan exercise has been repeated, he added.
Bajwa said the repeated denial of the PAC chairmanship to the opposition had completely weakened the system of checks and balances envisaged under the Constitution of India. He emphasised that the speaker's chair is expected to remain neutral and protect the sanctity of democratic institutions. Unfortunately, the speaker has chosen to function as an extension of the ruling party. The Bhagwant Mann government is clearly afraid of scrutiny and accountability, he added.
