Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Oct 8 (IANS) The ongoing session of the Punjab assembly ended Saturday amid pandemonium inside the house as opposition Congress legislators disrupted proceedings and shouted slogans as the speaker did not allow them to raise issues in the zero hour.

While the Congress members demanded that speaker allow zero hour first as they wanted to raise important issues concerning the state, Speaker Nirmaljit Singh Kahlon allowed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to make a statement on hike in fertilizer prices by the central government.

Congress legislators then rushed towards the speaker’s podium and disrupted proceedings.

Two legislators even climbed the table of the deputy speaker and made their speeches.

During all this chaos, Badal read out his statement seeking immediate withdrawal of the hike in fertiliser prices by the central government.

The government later said that a resolution seeking withdrawal of the hike in prices was passed unanimously by the house.

During the session Saturday, the government withdrew two controversial bills passed last year.

One of these pertained to the damage of public and private property during protests and agitations. The bill had proposed imprisonment and penalty against those damaging public or private property during protests.

The second bill withdrawn was regarding special powers given to police officials under the Special Security Group bill.

The bill had proposed that police officials will have the power to take action in interest of national security and that, for certain actions, they would not be liable to courts of law.

Opposition parties and several organizations were protesting in recent months against both the bills, saying that these were against democratic norms and not in public interest.