Punjab Assembly session cut short; State government to move Supreme Court against Governor
The Hindu
Punjab CM to move Supreme Court against Governor's refusal to approve three Bills. Assembly adjourned sine die. CM urges Speaker to adjourn House to avoid tussle with Governor. Governor had written to CM, withholding approval for Bills. Congress questions Speaker on legality of session. Speaker asserts session is legal.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on October 20 said his government will move the Supreme Court against the Governor's refusal to give approval to the three Bills which were to be tabled in the two-day session of the State Assembly.
The House was then adjourned sine die, hours after proceedings began on the first day of the session.
Mr. Mann told Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan that his government will not table any of the Bills in the House, and urged him to adjourn the Assembly sine die.
"I do not want that any tussle with the governor escalates further," Mr. Mann said.
"I request you that we will not table any Bill till we ensure Punjabis that this session is legal, and the Governor will have to give all approvals (to Bills) and also sign them," the Chief Minister said and added that "we will knock the door of the Supreme Court in the coming days".
Following Mr. Mann's request, a resolution to adjourn the Assembly sine die was moved, and then passed by the House.
In a fresh round of tussle between the Raj Bhavan and the AAP government, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on October 19 wrote to the Chief Minister, withholding his approval for the three Bills.
No room for complacency till counting is completed, Chandrababu Naidu tells TDP-BJP-JSP contestants. The TDP-BJP-JSP alliance will register a comfortable victory in the general elections over the YSRCP, he says. Alleging that the YSRCP has conspired to create disturbances on the counting day, the TDP national president advises the chief counting agents and their teams to see to it that the officials adhere to norms related to counting.