Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday said the upcoming two-day session of the state assembly is fully legal during which several "pro-people bills" will be presented in the House.
His remarks came days after the Punjab governor's secretariat said the October 20-21 session -- being projected as an extension of the Budget session -- is "bound to be illegal" and any business conducted during it "unlawful".
Mann said the session of Punjab Assembly is "fully valid and legal" as it has been called after consulting legal luminaries and in consonance with the Constitution.
“Vidhan Sabha session is taking place on October 20 and 21, and several pro-people bills will be brought in the session,” he told reporters here, adding the session will take place as per law.
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The legislative assembly is a democratically elected body which is answerable only to the people of the state, he said.
Government officials had earlier said the two-day session will be an extension of the fourth session -- the Budget session in March -- of the current legislative assembly.
Since the fourth session has not been prorogued yet, an approval of the governor to call a sitting of the assembly is not required and the assembly speaker is competent to convene it, they had argued.
The October 20-21 session is expected to discuss the recent Supreme Court directive on the construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal in Punjab, a project which the state is reluctant to complete, claiming that it has no water to spare for neighbouring Haryana.
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The top court on October 4 had asked the Centre to survey the portion of land in Punjab which was allocated for the construction of part of the SYL canal and make an estimate of the extent of construction carried out there.
On the issue of the November 1 debate challenge, Mann slammed opposition leaders for running away from the debate.
These leaders deceived Punjab on various issues for which they are answerable to the people of the state, he said.
“These leaders looted the masses and backstabbed the Punjabis on various issues," said the CM.
Later, in an official statement, Mann said that it is a fact the hands of the opposition leaders were “drenched with the blood of Punjab and Punjabis".
Due to this reason only they are afraid to face the people and are finding one or another excuse to have a debate with him on November 1, he claimed.
Mann recently dared Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, leader of opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal for an open debate on issues concerning the state.
He threw the challenge, amid opposition parties' criticism over the issue of SYL canal.
The state government has made an arrangement for holding the debate at an auditorium of the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana.
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-With PTI Input
