Chandigarh: The Punjab Assembly's special session on Labour Day turned chaotic on Monday after Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of arriving in an inebriated state, leading to heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches.
Opposition demands alcometer tests
Following Khaira's accusation, Congress MLAs demanded alcometer and dope tests for all legislators present. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa termed the charge "very serious" and said, "If true, it is a black day for democracy." The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dismissed the allegation as false. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused Khaira of misleading his own party to divert attention from a land grab case. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) demanded Mann's resignation.
Heated exchange before the ruckus
The chaos followed a tense back-and-forth between Khaira and Mann. The CM objected to Khaira using his mobile phone while Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan read a resolution proposing wage hikes for the working class. Khaira retaliated, accusing the treasury benches of targeting him unnecessarily. Cheema demanded action against Khaira, alleging he "always tried to disturb the house with his body language."
Discussions resumed briefly, but the situation escalated when the CM was leaving the House. Khaira stood up and alleged that Mann had come to the assembly drunk. The CM turned back, engaged in a heated exchange, and then left. Bajwa immediately demanded the doors be shut and alcometer tests conducted. "An honourable member has levelled a very serious charge on the head of the state. If it is true, there cannot be a worse day than this," he said. Congress MLAs trooped to the well, shouted slogans, and walked out.
CM returns, session adjourned
The CM returned when the session resumed at 3 pm, but the House was adjourned within 10 minutes after the Speaker rejected a written request by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) for "immediate alcometer and dope testing of the CM and all MLAs" by a team from PGI-Chandigarh. When the House reassembled, Mann made the concluding address on the resolution and tabled a confidence motion.
Political reactions
BJP state president Sunil Jakhar demanded Mann's resignation, stating, "After his conduct in today's assembly session, CM Mann has completely lost the moral right to remain in office. We will meet the Governor and tell him that Bhagwant Mann is unfit for the position." Earlier, Jakhar had posted on X demanding breathalyser tests for leaders entering the assembly. "Many faces can get unmasked if a breathalyser test is conducted," he wrote in Punjabi. Taking a dig at the AAP government, he said, "It would have been better if the government had conducted an alcohol test instead of a floor test."
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also demanded the CM's resignation, saying in a statement, "Punjabis are shocked that their chief minister has insulted the august house as well as their mandate in this manner." He called for a probe and expressed concern that "Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan did not rise up to the occasion to protect the dignity of the house by taking appropriate action, including subjecting the chief minister to the required medical tests." Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring asked the CM to clarify the charges.
