Punjab: Governor approves convening of assembly session as deadlock ends
Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Sunday granted approval to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to convene the third assembly session on Tuesday, putting an end to the deadlock. The clearance came hours after the administration wrote a letter of protest to Purohit following a disagreement over him rescinding an order calling a special assembly session to table Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's confidence motion.
Why does this story matter?
The AAP administration in Punjab has been in conflict with the governor since the party took over the state government led by Mann. The latest spat erupted after the governor requested information on the proposed legislative agenda. The ruling AAP has accused the governor of acting at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Announcement by Punjab Assembly Speaker
As per reports, a letter from the governor says that the session will be held on Tuesday (September 27) at 11:00 am. "The Hon. Governor, Punjab, has very kindly acceded to our request and summoned the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to meet for its third session on 27.9.2022 at 11.00 AM at Chandigarh," Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan tweeted.
What do we know about the face-off so far?
The assembly had been called by CM Mann's administration so that it could offer a trust vote on September 22. The Governor, however, revoked his permission, claiming that there were no explicit regulations for doing so (hold a confidence motion). The AAP expressed opposition to the action, calling it undemocratic,, and even made a threat to petition the Supreme Court.
Governor's order was 'too much': Mann
The governor requested information on Thursday about the specifics of the planned session's legislative agenda. In response, the AAP administration claimed that no governor had ever requested the government's legislative powers before convening a session in the past 75 years. "Next, the Governor will ask for all speeches to be approved by him. It's too much," CM said in a statement.
How did the Governor react?
"After reading your (CM Bhagwant Mann's) statements in today's newspapers, it appears to me that perhaps you are too much angry with me. I think your legal advisers are not briefing you adequately," Governor Purohit responded to the chief minister of Punjab. He went a step forward and also advised Mann to "read the Constitution".
