Punjab Governor thwarts AAP government's trust vote plan

Chandigarh, Sep 21: Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday thwarted the AAP government's plan to summon a special assembly session to bring a confidence motion.

The governor withdrew an earlier order calling the special session on Thursday, saying it had sought legal opinion after the Congress and the BJP approached the Raj Bhavan arguing that the House rules did not allow it. The latest order from the Raj Bhavan said the assembly rules did not allow summoning a session just to pass a trust vote in favour of the government.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann slammed the Governor for the decision, while the opposition parties hailed the move, saying Purohit prevented the state government from "sabotaging the constitutional and legislative practices". The AAP had sought to prove its majority through a confidence motion in the Assembly, days after it alleged that the BJP was trying to bring down its government in Punjab by poaching its MLAs.

The opposition BJP and the Congress had slammed the AAP move, accusing it of indulging in "theatrics" to divert attention of people from its "failures". They asked why the AAP needed to move a trust vote when nobody had claimed that it had lost majority in the House. The Governor had given permission on September 20 for summoning the special session on September 22.

His latest order withdraws that permission. "In absence of the specific rules regarding summoning of the assembly for considering the 'confidence motion' only called by the Punjab government on September 22, through special session of 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, I Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Punjab, hereby withdraw my orders dated September 20, regarding summoning the 16th Vidhan Sabha of the state of Punjab to meet for its third (special) session at 11 am on Thursday, September 22, in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha hall, Vidhan Bhavan, Chandigarh," the latest order read.

Kejriwal hit out the Governor. "How can the Governor refuse a session called by the cabinet? Then democracy is over," the Delhi chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi.

His Punjab counterpart Mann said, "The Governor not allowing the Assembly to run raises big questions on the country's democracy." The BJP termed the Governor's move an "appropriate and constitutional decision". BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh accused the AAP of trying to use the assembly for its "selfish political purposes", claiming that its house of lies is crumbling and its credibility is falling.

The AAP had recently claimed that at least 10 of its MLAs were approached by the BJP with an offer of Rs 25 crore to each of them in a bid to topple the six-month-old government under its 'Operation Lotus.' With 92 MLAs, the AAP has an overwhelming majority in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, while Congress has 18, SAD three, BJP two, and BSP one. The assembly also has an Independent member.

The Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday had approved the recommendation to be sent to the Governor for summoning the special session of the House under Article 174 (1) of the Constitution of India. In his order withdrawing permission for the special session, the Governor said he took the decision after seeking legal advice from Additional Solicitor General of India Satya Pal Jain.

Jain gave his legal opinion that there is no specific provision regarding summoning of the Assembly for considering the "confidence motion" only, in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, a letter sent to the secretary of the Punjab Assembly by the Raj Bhavan read.

In the light of legal opinion that there is no legal provision under the House rules that provides for convening a special session for the Motion of Confidence only, the Punjab Governor has withdrawn his order summoning the state assembly on September 22, the letter added.