Chandigarh, February 14: A debate in the Punjab Assembly on bringing a law against superstition went awry with Kuljit Nagra of the Congress and NK Sharma of the Akali Dal bringing religious practices of each other to the fore.
As the debate turned ugly and got personal, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra asked the Speaker to have a House committee inquire into the assets accumulated by Nagra and Sharma over the past 12 years.
Sharma is a coloniser in Zirakpur. Following the recommendation, the Speaker okayed getting an inquiry conducted.
Nagra said people flocked to Pandits, including Sharma ji (Akali Dal MLA NK Sharma) sitting on the other side, who is wearing religious threads on his wrist. Nagra said Sharmas too are Pandits, which was objected to by NK Sharma.
He said no one had the right to ridicule the others’ religion. As the two sparred and got personal in levelling allegations against each other, Nagra told the House that Sharma had acquired a huge empire in the past 12 years.
He then sought an inquiry into the assets of Sharma as well as his own assets.
This was recommended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra saying a House committee should inquire into it. The Speaker okayed the inquiry.
BJP MLA Som Prakash, who had moved the non-official resolution for bringing the above mentioned law, said separate cremation grounds should be built for the SC and non-SCs.
Countering him, Congress MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, said, “We need to set an example of removing these discriminatory practices, rather than promoting separatism amongst castes.”
Power Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar stunned the House as he said other than an inquiry into the assets of Sharma and Kuljit Nagra, another inquiry be conducted into the assets of Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Speaker Rana KP, meanwhile, clarified that no decision had been taken on HS Phoolka’s resignation.
He said Phoolka has been called on February 20 to give his resignation in proper format.
